New Found Attractions
by IamMu-chan
Summary: What happens to the characters that we know and love when they start to grow up?Hormones begin to rage, hearts begin to race,and before they know it they're in love!Mostly NaruHina as well as KibHina,ShikaTema,KibaSaku.Please R&R! I don't own Naruto
1. Chapter 1:Behind these silver eyes

New Found Attraction

**New Found Attraction**

**Chapter One  
**Behind these silver eyes

Naruto made his way down the streets of Konoha, his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner, dragging his feet slightly as he decided what he was to do for the day. He had woken that morning much earlier than usual, a strange dream at the edge of his mind. But as soon as he tried to think back on that strange dream it disappeared from his thoughts entirely, and no matter how hard he tried to remember, it just wouldn't come back to him.

He hated it when this happened to him; he was usually quite adept at remembering his dreams, but every now and then he struggled to recollect the memories involving, what he was sure, was one very specific dream. The most that he had ever been able to remember from it was the strange, sweet taste of fresh strawberries and bright, pale, silvery eyes so close to him that he could barely breathe…

Naruto started slightly at the thought of it, and brought himself back to the current situation at hand. The streets were mostly empty at this time; the various stores and restaurants around the village were still closed, besides the one or two restaurants that were meant for travelers and early risers. Naruto had never seen the village this quiet before, and he suddenly felt rather lonely, walking through he deserted, mist laden streets of the village that he loved so much.

He wasn't paying much attention to where he was going; his mind was still lost in thought about his dream, (and about what time he thought the Ichiraku ramen stand may open so that he could grab a bite to eat), when he found his feet leading him towards the park where he used to play as a child. It seemed odd to be so empty when he was used to the sight of many children running around, laughing and screaming, enjoying their youth. He walked towards the swing set, placing himself down delicately on one of the swings, which was cold due to the early morning mist, and he began to push himself slightly, the squeaking of the metal and the rattling of the chains giving a very nostalgic feeling…

He drifted back into thought as he was transported back to when he was a small child, playing at this very park with all of his childhood friends which were still there for him…those were some of the happier moments of his life while he was younger; Choji sitting on the swings, barely swinging himself, as he devoured a packet of potato chips; Shikamaru who placed his lazy bum on the round-a-bout and just observed the clouds as they passed by way above their heads; Kiba who sometimes had more energy than Naruto at times and would chase him around the playground, tackling him when he caught up and laughing the entire time…oh, and Hinata of course, who was always nearby, skulking behind one of the trees at the edge of the playground, watching them play.

Naruto looked towards the tree that she had often stood at in their youth, and was surprised to find her face poking from behind it as it usually had. He shook his head slightly, convinced that he was imagining it, but as he looked again he saw her clearly; standing there with a slight blush and smile on her face.

"Hinata!" he called and she recoiled slightly, but eventually stepped out from behind the tree, her hands clasped shyly in front of her.

"G-Good morning, Naruto-kun…" she trailed off slightly at his curious gaze, and she immediately felt the blush deepen on her cheeks.

"What are you doing up so early, Hinata?" Naruto asked, gesturing her to come over and sit alongside him on over the swings. Hinata moved slowly and shyly over to him, and sat down carefully upon the cold metal of the swing, and squeaked slightly at the sudden chill that shot up her spine.

"You okay Hinata?" Naruto asked and she looked shyly over at him, smiling.

"Y-Yes, it's just cold…he he…" she giggled, surprising herself slightly. She had never giggled in front of Naruto before…perhaps all the time that they had been spending together on missions over the years had spiked her confidence slightly, but she was still unable to hide her blush whenever he looked her way.

Naruto observed Hinata a she looked away and giggled slightly; he had never heard her giggle before, but it sounded very sweet to him, and he smiled in spite of himself. He dropped his eyes down to her feet, noticing that her toe nails were painted a bright, dazzling red, and he began to run his eyes up. She had elegantly shaped calves, which were covered by the female ninja attire which the majority of the girls their age wore; fishnet-like stockings which were covered in form hugging black pants.

She had very wide hips, he noticed, which gave her body an elegant curve. She was wearing her usual baggy jacket which she ad always honed as a child, but her style had changed now. Now that she was sixteen, the jacket had lost the hoodie, and was now coloured a light purple and suited her very well. His eyes trailed further up, and he then noticed how her breasts were so nicely formed, but at that moment he tore his eyes away and mentally shook himself. What was he doing checking Hinata out?

He had never actually checked a girl out before…he had never been interested in a girl according to her body shape or image…well, when he was younger he had crushed on Sakura an awful lot, and he had thought that she was pretty, but he had passed that phase now…he and Sakura were now nothing more that good friends, and once that was settled he had never really become interested in any other girls.

Although, lately he had been noticing small things about his female companions…he noticed when hair had been cut or coloured, clothes had been changed, make up had been applied…small things that he had never really been interested in before were now jumping out at him whenever he spent time with any of his female friends. And now, here he was, checking out a girl. And Hinata of all people! The shy, weird girl who had always been watching him, following him in a creepy manner…who always used to faint when he came near her…he had never figured out why that had always happened, but at least, lately, it seemed to have stopped.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said, and Naruto looked back up at her, noticing that she must have noticed that he was staring at her from top to bottom "Is something bothering you?"

"Hm? No, no! Why would you think that Hinata?"

"Well it's just…you've been quiet for a while now…"

"Sorry, I was just thinking…" Naruto said, lifting his hand up to his head and smiling in his usual manner.

"What about?" Hinata asked, then she started slightly and hurriedly said: "I-If I may ask, you don't have to tell me!"

"Hinata," Naruto said, shaking his head, "You don't have to be so nervous! We're friends aren't we? He he, you'd swear we were still children sometimes by the way we behave when we're together!"

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata curiously. She watched Naruto as if she was afraid she would lose sight of him; she had always watched him that way, and she had begun to notice that he was changing…he, like her, was becoming older, growing up, and maturing. He was still very much the same as the twelve year old that she had first fallen in love with; he still had a sense of humour, was always full of un-ending energy and stamina, and was sometimes just a bit over-enthusiastic to engage in a battle. As a sixteen year old, though, he was all of those things and more. He was sweet, caring and immensely popular amongst his friends. He was always the life and soul of any party and the younger children in the Academy had begun to look up to him. The villagers had begun to respect him more, and on missions his opinion had become highly valued.

He was handsome too…his body had become toned and his attire had become more suited to his new image. He had finally become a Chuunin at the beginning of the year, and he now sported the green jacket worn by the higher-ranked ninja of the village. His bright orange jumpsuit which he honed for so long had now taken a back seat as he proudly wore the jacket and his new black trousers around the village. Hinata had become so proud of him, but she was a little disappointed as well. She had always been the one who loved and admired Naruto…she had always supported him from the sidelines when everyone else had abandoned him. But now, everyone else had moved closer into his circle, showing him all the support and admiration that she had secretly been showing him for years, and despite everything she was still on the sidelines, and Naruto was the shining star in the centre that she could never reach.

"Well," continued Naruto, and Hinata brought herself back and listened to him attentively, "You've always been really shy around me, and no matter how many missions we go on it hasn't really changed…"

Hinata looked down ashamedly, and Naruto quickly tried to make up for what he had just said:

"But, it's not your fault! It's no one's fault really, I actually think it's kind of sweet…" Hinata looked up at him quickly, smiling, her silver eyes sparkling, and Naruto cleared his throat and looked away. He didn't know why, but as she had looked at him with those beautiful eyes of hers he had felt a strange sensation at the bottom of his stomach.

"Besides," he carried on, "When you're around I seem to return to my old self…it just feels like we're little kids again when you act all shy and reserved around me, and I try to act all extra goofy to make up for it."

He grinned over at her and she smiled back at him. She couldn't believe that he found her shyness sweet. She only found it annoying and had tried to improve it over the years, but her fatal weakness had always been Naruto, and her constant blushes surely gave her feelings away…maybe it was a good thing Naruto was rather daft. She smiled even wider and blushed slightly at this thought, and Naruto, who was watching her carefully, was surprised to feel a blush spread over his own cheeks as well. He cleared his throat again.

"So, Hinata, what are you doing up so early anyway?" he asked again, and she looked up at him, still smiling slightly.

"I 'm usually up this early for an early morning jog, and then I usually come over to this park and sit exactly where we are right now just to think. I enjoy the quiet of the early morning, don't you Naruto-kun?"

"Actually, this is the first time I've really been up this early before…" he said looking around at the deserted playground and taking in the quiet of the morning, "But yeah, it is kind of nice."

"May I ask why you were up so early this morning, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. She didn't know why, but all of a sudden she felt extremely comfortable sitting and talking to him.

"Couldn't sleep," Naruto replied simply, "Woke up from a really weird dream…can't remember what happened though. Been trying to remember for ages now, but the only thing that comes to me is the taste of strawberries…'

"Maybe you're yearning to eat some of them?" Hinata said innocently, and Naruto laughed.

"Ha, ha, yeah, maybe…but it's weird," he suddenly stood up, thrusting his hands into his pockets for warmth, "I get this weird feeling whenever I wake up from this dream…I fell…I dunno…safe and warm, as if the thing in my dream is something familiar and something that loves me…"

He trailed off, slipping back into thought as Hinata sat there watching him. She didn't know why, but she felt the sudden urge to comfort him…to ease him out of his worried, frustrated thoughts and back to her, so that she could make him feel safe and warm and loved…

Before she knew it she had gotten to her feet, walked over to Naruto and wrapped her arms around his waist from the back, pulling him into a tight hug. Naruto looked back at her, completely caught off guard. Hinata snuggled her face into his back, praying for courage to say what was on her mind.

"Hina-?"

"You are loved!" she exclaimed, slightly more forcefully than she had intended, but she had to say it nonetheless, "Naruto-kun…you are loved! You have always been loved, even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes, even though you feel as if the entire world hates you, remember that you are loved! Always…"

Hinata's eyes had begun to fill with tears, and Naruto only stood there looking back at her, his eyes wide at this sudden outburst.

"You've always been admired Naruto-kun! _I_ have always admired you…you…you are loved…"

Her voice faded into a whisper as tears overcame her, and she sobbed quietly into his back as Naruto's eyes softened and a small smile crossed his lips.

'_So that's how it was…'_ he thought to himself, _'I have always been loved…not by the village, as I'd wanted it…but I have always been loved…by Hinata…'_

Naruto lightly unwrapped her arms from his waist, and turned around to face her. She was hiding her tear-stained face from him, but he brushed away her long, dark hair so that he could see her properly, and she looked up at him, slightly ashamed.

"Hinata…" Naruto whispered, "Thank you…"


	2. Chapter 2: Troublesome woman

**Chapter Two**

Troublesome woman…

Shikamaru was sitting at the guard station near the gates of Konoha, his head placed on the palm of his hand as he stared out towards the thick expanse of forest which marked the borders of the village. The sun was shining down upon the dusty ground to such an extent that Shikamaru was able to see the evaporation of tiny water droplets before his eyes. He removed his head from his hand and leaned back into the shade of the station, placing his arms behind his head in order to get more comfortable.

As tempted as he was to simply lie there and sleep, he knew that it would be wrong to do at a time like this. He was put on guard duty for the day, and as much as he detested it he had no choice but to obey the Hokage's orders. He didn't know why he had to do it today…there were plenty of other ninja that she would be able to ask, but no, apparently today he specifically had to be the one on guard duty. He was allowed to be off in an hour or two, at exactly noon, when the other guards would take over, and he impatiently looked up at the sun to determine the time.

Highly unsatisfied with how long he still had to wait, he leant back and resumed his gazing out of the gates, waiting for something…anything…to happen. Why was everything he was told to do so troublesome…that damn Tsunade, always giving him missions that he didn't really want and grinning evilly when he objected. He'd learnt a long time ago not to try and fight back or protest, because once she gave him that evil glare, with flames residing in her eyes, he knew he'd have to run in order to avoid a thrown object or a massive outburst which was so…troublesome.

He gave a large yawn and leant back still further in his chair, balancing himself on the two back legs and placing his feet onto the counter before him. Why were all the women in this village such a hassle? If it wasn't Tsunade giving him trouble, then it was him getting involved with one of Sakura and Ino's huge fights, or else he was dashing away from Ten-Ten who insisted on using him as target practice. The only girl in the village who he had no trouble with, because she was quiet and shy and sweet was Hinata, although her Naruto obsession did creep him out a bit.

Shikamaru chuckled to himself as he swayed backwards and forwards in his chair. The fact that Naruto was unable to realize that Hinata was in love with him was beyond Shikamaru's range of understanding. If a girl were that much in love with him he was certain he would realize it…but then, he was a genius after all. Shikamaru went back to thinking about Tsunade and the troublesome missions she was assigning him to lately. The next one after this would be an escort mission, she had told him, and he was required to take special care of the guest who would be visiting the village. It would be an ambassador, and Shikamaru was highly unenthusiastic about spending time with an old man who thought only of himself and gave ninja's very little respect. At least, this was the picture he had in his mind of the ambassador.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru muttered , and glanced out of the gate gain, seeing nothing but the dusty track and the vast expanse of trees, "How tiresome…" he complained, and leant back again, wobbling dangerously on the hind legs of the chair. The only woman he knew who was even more troubling than the Hokage, as well as more frightening and yet more beautiful was…no. Shikamaru shook the thoughts out of his head as his mind strayed to the Sand village. What was he doing thinking about that woman now? That troublesome, troublesome woman…

He glanced out of the gate again, and spotted a distant figure that was coming closer and closer, walking at a comfortable pace. He squinted his eyes to see who it was, but he was barely able to make the person out due to the sharpness of the sun in the background. All he could see was the dark silhouette, and after observing it for a few more minutes, he was able to make out that it was a woman coming his way.

She walked with an easy grace, with the pride and elegance of a tigress, and he was able to make out a large, long object on her back. She was curvy, he noticed, and had a head of blonde hair which was tied into four elegant buns. She swayed her hips as she walked, and as she grew closer he was able to make out her attractive clothing. The closer she came, the faster his heart beat, as he began to realize who this person was.

'_No…it couldn't be her…could it?' _he asked himself, shading his eyes with his hands and cursing the sun for being so bright. Only when the woman was right before him could he finally see her.

"Hey there, Nara," she said matter-of-factly, and Shikamaru was so shocked to hear her voice that he lost his balance on the delicate chair legs and toppled backwards, straight onto his back as the Sand ninja burst into laughter.

"Aw damn it," Shikamaru muttered as he placed a hand on the counter and pushed himself up as he rubbed the back of his head lazily.

"Oh, ouch…" said Temari in a mock attempt at pity, "That looked painful."

"Well, it was!" said Shikamaru, looking up at her with a defensive glare. All she did was stand there and smile, her arms crossed against her chest. The two of them said nothing for almost two whole minutes; all they did was look at each other; Shikamaru with a slight look of embarrassment and Temari with an amused smile, yet both their eyes were welcoming and friendly. Eventually, Temari broke the silence.

"Good to see you," she said, tilting her head a bit to the side, not taking her eyes away from his. Shikamaru felt exposed beneath her stare, as if she was looking for something that she was unable to find, and he tore her gaze from his, ignoring the small tug at his heart which encouraged him to look further.

"You too," he mumbled, and righted himself back on his chair; "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yup," she said, smiling at him as if there was an untold story hidden between the lines that these two had created, "Far too long…"

He gave a slight 'humph' in her direction and crossed his arms over his chest, "Missed me then, have you?"

"Ha!" she exclaimed, dropping her touching tone of voice and turning back into the old Temari, "You wish! As if I would miss a lazy ass guy like you who only complains and can barely handle a fight by himself!"

"That was the old me!" he shouted right back at her, "You just wait until the next one we have, I'll show you who can't handle a fight! You fan girl!"

"Shadow ass!"

"Dust bunny!"

"Leaf midget!"

The two of them stared daggers at each other until Shikamaru finally sighed and turned away, muttering to himself.

Temari swore she heard the word 'troublesome' somewhere in the muttering, and she chuckled to herself, taking her fan from her back and placing into the ground beside her, leaning against it in a relaxed manner.

"So, what brings you to Konoha?" Shikamaru asked lazily. He had placed himself back on the chair and was leaning back on it again, his feet propped up on the counter, eying her from over his toes. Temari smiled to herself again, admiring the little bit of arrogance he showed, but she knew that deep down he was the perfect gentleman…one who was difficult to match. She was now almost twenty years old, and had experienced relationships with many men from the Sand Village, but for the last few years she had found it difficult to find anyone who really suited her likings. There had been many handsome men who had taken interest in her, but they were all dim-witted and had ego's twice as large as their I.Q's.

Over the past few years there was only one man that she could ever picture herself becoming romantically involved with, and that man was sitting right in front of her, watching her hungrily from beneath his furrowed brow, and she knew that he was just as attracted to her as she was to him, even though they both never showed it. Never.

"Work, of course," Temari answered, leaning heavily on her fan and folding her arms once more, "I'm here to observe the teaching methods of Konoha and to take as much details back to my village as possible. We've begun a new teaching regime, but our ninja's are highly untrained in the art of teaching, therefore I've come to find out as much as I can."

"Excellent," Shikamaru sneered, "Are you also going to be one of these teachers then?"

Temari blushed slightly and thrust her nose into the air, saying matter-of-factly: "There's nothing wrong with being a teacher, Nara. I find it a wonderful opportunity to share my skills with the students and children of our village. I feel that I have a lot to give."

"That's for sure," said Shikamaru, stretching his arms over his head, "Just don't rough them up too much, ok?"

Temari smiled at this and winked at him, causing Shikamaru to almost lose his balance again, "I can't guarantee anything…"

"Anyway Nara, I've got to get going…I told the Hokage I'd report in as soon as I'd get here and she said she'd assign me an escort."

Shikamaru nodded towards her as she pulled her fan out of the ground and lifted it onto her shoulder.

"Be a good boy while I'm gone, k?" she said in a sweet, sexy voice, and winked at him again as she turned her back on him and made her way towards the Hokage's mansion.

With that last wink and sexy tone Shikamaru really did lose his balance, and he fell to the side this time with an almighty crash as one of the chair legs below him snapped, and Temari smiled as she heard the crash behind her, knowing exactly what had happened.

"Ouch," Shikamaru stated, as he lifted himself up for a second time, this time rubbing his side, "That troublesome woman…"

'_Why does she have to be so damn attractive!_' he thought to himself, and this time rested his back against the wall seeing as there was no longer a chair to sit on. He watched her retreating back and felt a slight warmth and rushing of blood to an unmentioned area, and he shifted uncomfortably, tearing his eyes away from her and focusing instead on the gate again, from which a new figure with dark hair and a ruggedly handsome face appeared with his large companion at his side.

--

Hello everybody!!

My name is Nicole, I am the author and I would like to know what you guys think of my fan fiction so far…

I wouldn't say it's the first I've written, but it's one of the first that I've posted and I'm very enthusiastic about it, and would like to know if you all are too!!

I have a rule…I don't update until I get at least one review. I like to know that people are at least reading...he he…so if you do like the story, please tell your fan fiction and Naruto buddies to come and read it so that I can update?? I kinda broke my rule by posting the first two chapters without any reviews on the first, but I thought I'd be nice. He he…

Anyway, that's all you'll hear from me for now! Evil Grin

Luv Nix


	3. Chapter 3: Howling at her beauty

New Found Attraction

**Chapter Three **

Howling at her beauty

"Shikamaru!" Kiba called, running over to his friend who was leaning against the wall in the guard station, looking slightly flushed and irritated. Kiba wandered what must've altered Shikamaru's mood, and he slowed his pace and began to approach him with caution instead. It was never pleasant talking to Shikamaru when he was in a bad mood, and it was even more difficult to ask for favours when he was already annoyed. And today Kiba needed a favour.

"What's up Shikamaru?" Kiba asked politely, "Has some girl been giving you troubles?"

Kiba had asked this in all innocence, sensing that if there was one person who didn't suffer from girl troubles it was Shikamaru, but he was greatly surprised when he reddened even more and spluttered slightly.

"Wha-What are you talking about Kiba? Nosey-ass…"

"Hey, hey, I didn't mean it!" Kiba defended himself, putting his hands up innocently and backing closer to Akamaru who was panting heavily in the extreme heat, "I only meant it as a joke!"

"Not something to joke about, trust me," Shikamaru groaned, and he yawned slightly and looked up at the sun. He only had about half an hour left before he could go see the Hokage and the new guard would take over.

"You're telling me," said Kiba, coming forward and placing himself on the counter, his back facing Shikamaru as Akamaru lay down at his feet and sighed, making the dust unsettle and drift upwards, making the two boys sneeze.

"Why?" Shikamaru asked between sneezes, "Who's been giving you trouble?"

"No, no one's really giving me trouble…well, not _intentionally_ at least…but…well…"

Shikamaru watched Kiba curiously; he was fidgeting ever so slightly, brushing his fringe from his eyes and tapping his knee lightly with the palm of his hand…his eyes were darting around almost as if he was scared something might jump out at him or overhear him, and Shikamaru could sense that he was rather disturbed by something.

"Damn Kiba," Shikamaru exclaimed, "Seems like you're the one with girl troubles, not me!"

Kiba grinned and rubbed the back of his head nervously in a very Naruto-like way, and laughed, "He he, yeah, well, it's my own fault really…"

As unwilling as Shikamaru was to listen and provide some sort of advice to Kiba, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to allow Kiba to help waste away the time left at this troublesome place. Therefore, Shikamaru walked closer to Kiba and leaned against the counter instead so that he could face Kiba while leaning back.

"Well, tell me what's eating at you about this girl then?" asked Shikamaru, and Kiba grinned evilly at him.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours…"

Shikamaru grunted and looked away, feeling heat on his cheeks again, as Kiba laughed, "Troublesome…" he muttered again and Kiba laughed even harder.

"You're much too easy to wind up Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru grunted again and Kiba suddenly became quiet all too quickly. Shikamaru looked up at him and followed his eyes over to where he was looking. Coming down the trail path were Hinata and Naruto; Naruto explaining something vivid with large hand gestures and Hinata walking with her hands clasped in front of her as usual, with a gigantic smile on her face, listening to Naruto's story with glee.

They were coming towards them down the path before them, but at the last second they turned a corner to the left and made their way down a road which led to the Hyuuga Estate, not even noticing the two ninja's sitting watching them from the guard station. Kiba's eyes remained fixed on the point where they had disappeared, his mind obviously racing, and Shikamaru's eyes glanced from Kiba to the path and back to Kiba very quickly. He then smiled and leant back against the counter, saying quietly:

"Hinata, hmm?"

Kiba looked towards him in surprise; he seemed to have momentarily forgotten where he was, and his shoulders had tensed up at Shikamaru's remark. He then suddenly slumped as if all the wind had been knocked out of him and he hung his head slightly.

"You see why it's my doing? Everyone knows that she's in love with Naruto! Everyone except Naruto of course…" Kiba trailed off and looked back at the spot where the two had disappeared, then hung his head back down and continued.

"I've been hoping that if I spent enough time with her and made her realize how I felt about her she would eventually give up on Naruto and I'd get to have my chance…but no…she's completely blind to everyone's advances except his! And Naruto of all people!"

Kiba suddenly looked back up again and Shikamaru saw a slight tinge of anger and determination in his eyes.

"Naruto! Naruto, who has always been the class clown and the dunce of the lot! Sure, we were all friendly when we were kids and we didn't mind him for being so…so…stupid, but lately it's been working me up! I'm twice the man that Naruto is! Hinata should be with me, and not be chasing after that dim-witted fool!"

His voiced had become louder and more aggressive, and Akamaru looked up from where he was lying and gave a slight whine at his master's behaviour. Shikamaru just listened quietly till Kiba finished, his eyes closed, his jaw set. When he felt that Kiba had said enough, he opened his eyes and began to tell Kiba exactly what he thought of the situation:

"So troublesome…"

Kiba looked at him threateningly and said: "Not Hinata…Hinata's worth it! She's…she's beautiful…so beautiful… and she's smart and caring and sweet…everything that Naruto doesn't deserve!"

"Naruto is a good man, Kiba," Shikamaru interjected. He agreed with Kiba that Naruto was perhaps a little dim-witted and that it was difficult to take him seriously, but he felt that Kiba had gone too far.

"Naruto has always been underestimated and has never been taken seriously, but we were all the blind one's when we were younger…Naruto has a caring heart and is extremely loyal…if he ever found out about how Hinata felt about him I'm sure that he would treat her well."

Kiba's face burned with rage and disappointment at Shikamaru's words, and it took all of his self control to have his voice remain calm.

"Are you telling me," he said through gritted teeth, "That Naruto could be more loyal than me? Me, who lives with the most loyal companions on this earth, and befriends them like brothers? What's more loyal than the canine, Man's best friend?"

Shikamaru kept quiet as Kiba jumped down from the counter and Akamaru stood up obediently.

"I won't lose to him, Shikamaru," Kiba said, clambering onto Akamaru's back, "I've already lost fights, recognition and many other things to him, but Hinata…I will not let him have her. I will not lose Hinata to him!"

Shikamaru sighed as Kiba turned his back on Shikamaru and began to ride away on Akamaru, but not before hearing Shikamaru's final words to him:

"What you don't realize Kiba, is that she was never yours…how can you lose something that never belonged to you in the first place?"

Kiba ignored him, riding off in the direction of Naruto and Hinata, and Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the sun.

It was finally noon. What a troublesome morning it had been…

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OK, OK, so I gave in after only 5 reviews…but please don't stop!! I love to hear what you all have to say…hope you enjoyed this chapter…maybe after another five I'll post the next one called: **'Hey Big Spender'. **He he…


	4. Chapter 4: Hey Big Spender

New Found Attraction

**Chapter Four**

Hey big spender…

Naruto and Hinata had left the park as soon as Hinata's tears had dried up and Naruto had gotten her to smile again. Naruto was feeling rather hungry, and wanted to suggest that they make their way over to Ichiraku Ramen, but didn't want Hinata to think that he was only thinking of food, especially after she had just confessed to him that he had always been loved.

He didn't understand why, but as he walked beside her; their feet falling automatically into step, their hands brushing slightly every now and then, he felt his heart beat faster and his face become hotter. What was this strange new feeling that had erupted in the pit of his stomach? He felt as if he was falling down from a cliff, his stomach turning and clenching at the height and fear of it all, and yet this feeling wasn't a bad one…it felt good…

And not only was his stomach experiencing new sensations, but his heart was also aching slightly whenever he glanced towards the dark haired female ninja beside him. Her face was a pale, creamy colour, except for her cheeks which had a permanent pinkish blush upon them. Her eyes were sweet, honest and sparkly, and every time their eyes accidentally met Naruto's stomach and heart went into a fresh set of strange sensations. His eyes traveled down to her lips, which were also a slight, shiny pink, and they looked soft and warm to him in the early morning light. He wondered how it would feel to touch those lips. He unconsciously found himself leaning closer, curious to see, taste and feel those gorgeous lips, when he was suddenly brought back to reality by a tiny voice.

"N-Naruto-k-kun…" Hinata said quietly as the handsome blonde boy moved very close to her face, causing her cheeks to burn as he came closer and closer, his eyes focused on her mouth, and she very quietly moved those lips to speak. He seemed to have been pulled back from a far distance by her voice, and stopped suddenly looking slightly confused as to why the two of them were so close. He then realized suddenly as to how close they were and he drew away quickly, his eyes opening wide in shock.

"S-Sorry, Hinata-chan!" he said taking a few steps away from her. Hinata gulped slightly at what she was sure was an attempt at a kiss, and almost cursed herself for speaking and causing Naruto to draw away from her. Wait, Hinata-chan? Naruto had never called her that before! Why now? Why? Hinata got caught up in her train of thought as she wondered the hundreds of reasons as to why Naruto had suddenly called her by a name which meant she was close to him… she barely heard Naruto's apologies through her quickly spinning thoughts.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Naruto kept saying, but he suddenly stopped as he paid attention to his senses again.

"Hinata," he said, looking at his hands as she answered with a hurried 'yes?', "Are you wearing some kind of lip gloss?" he asked bravely, and Hinata's face turned a pure shade of red before she found the strength to answer him.

"Y-Yes, I a-am," she said, not daring to look at him as her eyes strayed to her shoes.

"What flavour is it?" he asked, and she hurriedly said, "Strawberry."

"Ok, thanks!" Naruto said, and Hinata looked up at him, confused.

"Why do ask such a question, N-Naruto-kun?" she asked just as bravely and this time it was Naruto's turn to blush furiously and give a nervous laugh.

"Well, he he, it's just that I've been having this weird dream, remember? With strawberries in it? The smell of your lip gloss just suddenly reminded me of it…"

"Oh?" she said and smiled, "That's a coincidence isn't it?"

She said it without thinking, and the next thing she knew Naruto was asking her curiously, "Why's it a coincidence?""

Hinata turned, if possible, even redder, and shook her head hurriedly, ":N-N-Nothing!" she said, for the image that had come to her mind was certainly not meant for Naruto's ears, and she felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

"Hinata?" Naruto said evilly. He suddenly felt the urge to say something daring, and him being who he was (untactful, unthinking and certainly not cautious), said it, "Were you imagining me kissing you and your strawberry lip gloss?"

Hinata froze. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't say yes, because what would Naruto think of her if she did? She also couldn't say no because it was a lie, and she was certain he'd be able to tell that she was lying when she tried to cover it up. The only thing that she could hope for was that Naruto was treating it as a joke, and she then decided on rather playing completely innocent.

"Naruto, why would you say something like that? It's nothing to joke about!"

"Sorry…" Naruto said worriedly, scared that he had offended her. Hinata tried to play a role that she had seen Sakura do many times when Naruto had offended her, and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest and thrust her nose into the air, looking away from Naruto with a 'humph'.

"Ah, sorry, I'm sorry, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said for the hundredth time that day, "I didn't mean it, I was only kidding, really!"

Hinata smiled shyly, proud of how her performance had worked out, and she looked towards him sweetly.

"It's okay, I know you were only joking," said Hinata, and Naruto sighed with relief. His stomach then gave an almighty growl and Hinata laughed quietly as he clutched it in embarrassment.

"I guess I'm a bit hungry," he said and grinned nervously, and Hinata laughed a bit harder. It felt so good to spend time with Naruto like this. She could really get used to it. Little did she know that he was thinking exactly the same thing…

"Well," said Hinata when she had regained some of her breath, "The restaurants and shops should be opening in about ten minutes, so how about we go and find some place for breakfast?"

"Really!?" Naruto exclaimed and he rushed forwards and grabbed Hinata by the hand, leading her towards his favourite place to eat, "Then let's go and get something at Ichiraku Ramen! Will you come with me Hinata, please?"

His eyes sparkled and his excitement was very apparent to her, so there was no way that she could say no, even if she had wanted to.

"Of course Naruto-kun!" she said, realizing that this was the first time that he had asked her to do something alone with him. It was almost like a date…

She blushed as she was pulled down the street by Naruto, tightening her grip on his hand, never wanting him to let go…

They spent the morning together, much to her enjoyment; they went and had breakfast at Ichiraku Ramen, during which time the owner of the store kept looking for hints as to whether or not she and Naruto were together; they had then walked around the village, stopping in stores that Hinata had planned on visiting that day in order to do some shopping, and Naruto obediently followed her into each and every one, remarking on the price or the appearance of certain things, and Hinata offered some useful tips on where to buy the best quality supplies for the best prices.

At one stage the two of them passed a gift shop, and Naruto insisted on dragging Hinata in so that they could look around. After some time she picked up a necklace from a shelf which had a tiny charm of the letter "N" hanging from it. It had red, gold and silver diamonds placed into it, and she admired the handiwork and detail put into it, but as she was about to put it back on the shelf, Naruto took it gently from her hands and asked her if she liked it. Hinata had nodded shyly and Naruto smiled.

"Then I'll buy it for you!" he exclaimed, and she shook her head hurriedly.

"N-No Naruto-kun, you don't have to…"

"I want to Hinata-chan," he said, smiling down at her, and the next thing she knew he had paid for it and handed it to her in a tiny gold box. She smiled as he handed it to her.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said, looking up at him, and he grinned down at her, but then his smile and eyes softened, and he felt a warmth of admiration grow in his heart for the girl standing before him. Both their hands were now holding the box, and her small, soft hands felt very nice in his, so that when he eventually let go of the box and placed it into her hands, he longed to take them again.

"It's my pleasure, really," he said, and they left the shop soon after that. When the morning grew closer and closer to the afternoon Hinata admitted sadly that she'd have to get home; her cousin Neji had promised her a training session after lunch, and she didn't want to upset him by missing it. Naruto walked her home happily, telling her for almost the third time about the battle in which he had beaten Neji at the Chuunin exams the first time he had taken it, while she listened happily, enjoying the attention he was showing her.

They passed Kiba and Shikamaru who had watched them curiously while Naruto walked her home, and she felt a little uncomfortable under their gaze, almost as if they were looking to find something between her and Naruto which wasn't there. Well, to her there was of course something there…but they didn't need to know that…

"Thank you for walking me home, Naruto-kun," Hinata said as they reached the gates of the Hyuuga Estate.

"No problem Hinata-chan," Naruto replied and he grinned over at her as she fumbled nervously with the little gold box clasped in her hands.

"And thank you for the…the necklace…" she trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed again. This was the first time that she had spent so much time with Naruto away from missions…this morning Hinata had left her home as an observer of Naruto Uzumaki's life, but she had returned to it as a part of Naruto's life…

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, and she snapped out of her daze, "Could you do me a favour?"

"Y-Yes?" she stuttered, wondering what he wanted to ask of her.

"Would you wear that necklace…for me?" he said quietly, and Hinata had to lean in to hear him, "Would you wear it so that whenever I'd see it around your neck I'd know that I was really loved?"

Hinata blushed furiously again, but answered him with a curt nod and she felt as if she may faint from it all. This was unreal…it had to be unreal…

"Can I put it on for you?" asked Naruto, and Hinata handed the golden box over to him. He pulled out the chain and motioned for her to turn around. She did as he asked, lifting her long black hair away from her neck so that he could place it around her neck, and she shivered slightly as his arms wrapped around her and his body came close to hers.

Naruto had seen old films of men doing this for girls whenever they bought them necklaces, so when he had seen Hinata staring at it he immediately planned this scenario in his head. He came as close to her as he dared, and he felt the shiver run down her body as he placed his arms around her neck and onto her shoulder's. He fastened the necklace and then took Hinata's hand which was grasping her hair, motioning to her that she could let it fall. She dropped it lightly, and as the thin strands fell before his face he caught the slight whiff of strawberries again.

"There," he said as she turned around, looking down at the fine chain hanging from her neck, "It suits you! Hey…"

He leaned closer to admire the glowing stones in the charm, and straightened up with a goofy smile on his face.

"It's and N! Like, for Naruto!" and he smiled even wider at the thought that Hinata was wearing something representing him around her neck.

"Yeah..." Hinata sighed, running her fingers over the charm and secretly dancing on the inside, "I'm wearing it for you, Naruto-kun…because you bought it for me…and because you are loved…"

She looked up at him then and cocked her head over to the side with a small smile, and Naruto felt his cheeks redden, turning away.

"W-Well, I g-gotta get going!" he said hurriedly and began to walk away briskly in the other direction, Hinata staring after him. He then stopped and turned around, waving wildly and shouting at the top of his voice: "Bye-bye Hinata-chan! See you tomorrow!"

And with that he dashed off, leaving Hinata standing there, unable to comprehend the situation that she now found herself in.

--

Hey all, hope that you're enjoying this story so far...very soon the plot will thicken! He he he

But please, if you have time leave me a review, I'd like to know that people are enjoying this, and if they maybe have some suggestions on improvements?

Until next chapter!

Mwa


	5. Chapter 5: A little piece of you

New Found Attraction

_Hey everyone, I hope that you're all enjoying this story of mine so far...I got review that said I had very little action in my story, and am missing a major SusukexSakura element. Just to let you know, the story will unfold eventually, and will soon centre around action just as much as the romance, but, unfortunantely, the SasukexSakura will only be incorporate later._

_Thanks for your constructive critism though, I really appreciate it! Keep reading, and please don't forget to review!_

_Mwa!_

_Luv Nix_

**Chapter Five**

A little piece of you close to my heart

Kiba stood next to Akamaru a fair distance off from the pair, watching their every move. He watched the two of them say their goodbyes, and he had almost reached the conclusion that he had nothing to worry about from Naruto when he saw him suddenly taking something from Hinata, gesturing for her to turn around and placing his arms around her neck.

Kiba gritted his teeth slightly as he watched this, his nails digging into his knees as he continued to watch. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but his keen sense of smell could tell exactly what was going on…he could smell it…

Dogs had a way of knowing when a female was ready to mate, and with humans it wasn't much different. Humans produced hormone's which could easily be picked up by an animal, and other humans also unconsciously picked it up from time to time, but Kiba was half animal already, and he could smell the chemistry between Naruto and Hinata as they stood there. It made him anxious, and he didn't know why…he suppressed the urge to run out and force the two apart, but he knew that doing that would only make a fool out of him, so he remained put, lightly rubbing the fur upon Akamaru's head, who groaned with pleasure.

Kiba watched as Naruto moved a little too close to Hinata and fastened something around her neck, grasping one of her hands lightly as she dropped her hair and turned around to face him again. Naruto leaned in closer, and from the angle Kiba was standing at it looked like he was about to lightly kiss her neck.

Kiba gritted his teeth even harder and took a step out from behind his hiding place. What did he think he was doing? Before he could take a step further though, he felt Akamaru tug him back lightly by his sleeve. He looked back at his companion, who had a look of understanding in his canine eyes, and Kiba calmed down slightly, stepping back behind the cover of the building, and turning to see what would happen next.

"Bye-bye Hinata-chan! See you tomorrow!" shouted Naruto, and he ran off in the other direction, leaving Hinata staring after him, clutching the necklace around her neck.

Now that Naruto was gone, Kiba stepped out from his shelter and made his way carefully towards Hinata. He didn't want her to know that he had been watching, so he strolled down the street with his usual carefree manner, Akamaru right beside him.

"Hinata," Kiba began when he was near enough, and Hinata turned around in surprise.

"Kiba-kun!" she exclaimed, almost as if he had caught her in the middle of doing something wrong, and Kiba's eyes wandered over to the retreating back of Naruto. He had indeed caught her in the middle of doing something wrong…

"Good afternoon," Hinata said politely after Kiba had given no response, and his eyes wandered back onto her beautiful face, and down to her sweet smile. He smiled back at her, but not sweetly. He smiled down at her with a hunger in his eyes and his lips had twisted themselves into a sexy, evil grin.

Hinata gasped quietly as she looked up at her friend before her, and for that split second he didn't seem like her friend at all…he looked more like a hungry wolf who was devouring her with his eyes, and Hinata shifted uncomfortably on the spot, her eyes cast downward from the uncomfortable gaze. It was only when she felt his gaze lift that she dared looked up again, and now she saw her old friend standing before her again, his look of hunger replaced by a look of mischief and friendliness.

"Hey Hinata," he said, and Akamaru gave a bark of greeting next to him. Hinata walked forwards and began to stroke the top of Akamaru's large head, causing him to groan lightly again, and Hinata giggled slightly as he aimed a few licks at her face.

"Ok boy, calm down," Kiba said, laughing, and Akamaru gave him an evil glare and continued to nuzzle against Hinata's hand, but he no longer tried to lick her.

"Akamaru has really gotten big, Kiba-kun," Hinata said, fishing in her pocket for a biscuit or two which she usually kept for these occasions, "I can't believe that I used to be able to cuddle him in arms!"

"Yeah," Kiba said, and he walked over and joined Hinata in stroking Akamaru, who closed his eyes, enjoying all the attention, "But he's still really the same as he used to be you know? No matter how big he gets, or how vicious he looks, everyone in this village still treats him the same. They love him, pat him and are just as friendly with him as when he was a puppy."

"Really?" Hinata said, feeding Akamaru a biscuit.

"Yup!"

Kiba brushed his hand lightly over Hinata's, who barely seemed to notice it, and continued looking down at Akamaru. Kiba blushed slightly from touching her soft hands, and also from frustration that she hadn't even noticed it, and carried on.

"No matter how much you change, people will always treat you the same way," he continued, "Whether you change for better or for worse you'll still be seen as what you were born as."

Hinata looked up at Kiba curiously. What was he trying to get at?

"I mean," he started more forcefully, "If you were born as an outsider you'll still always be seen as an outsider. If you are born noble you remain noble, if you are born an orphan you'll always remain an orphan. If you're born weak, you'll always be seen as a weakling, no matter how strong you get! If you are born strong no one will ever doubt your strength!"

"Kiba-kun," Hinata said quietly, and he looked down at her, "I don't believe that people are unable to change. I was born weak and I like to think that maybe I got a little bit stronger…"

"No, of course you got stronger Hinata!" Kiba said quickly, "I didn't say that people can't change! I just said that no matter how much you change, people always tend to see you in the same way…"

"What do you mean, Kiba?" Hinata said, her voice suddenly becoming cold, "Are you saying that people still see me as weak, even though I have become stronger? I know my father still thinks of me as being the weakling of the family, but I didn't know that you and everyone else did as well."

"No, no, I didn't say that at all Hinata!" Kiba said, and Akamaru gave a whine of disapproval as he took his hand away.

"Then what, or who, were you referring to Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked even more coldly. Why was she suddenly so upset with Kiba? Was it because he had just unintentionally insulted her, or was it because she had a feeling that she knew who he was referring to?

Hinata had always known that Kiba and Naruto shared a friendly rivalry, but over the last few years it had become even more intense, and Kiba had tried to beat Naruto at absolutely everything…so much so that he had become a bit hurtful whenever he lost. He had begun spreading rumours about Naruto and treating him like the village used to when he was younger; he avoided him, or either insulted him and took him head on about everything, and Hinata could see that the friendship the two of them had formed as children was now being torn apart by jealousy and rivalry.

She wondered whether the reason Kiba was here with her now was because he had seen her and Naruto together earlier, and she narrowed her eyes at him slightly at this thought. During this entire ordeal between the two boys she had felt torn between who to support, much like that time during the Chuunin exams four years previously, when Kiba and Naruto had battled, and Hinata had wondered who she would be able to cheer for. At that time she had simply kept quiet, and had been doing so for years now, but if this conversation turned out the way she thought it would she would be quiet no longer.

"No one, no one…" Kiba trailed off, and his eyes fell to his shoes under Hinata's sudden dark glare. Hinata, his sweet, caring Hinata, was looking at him like that? How much had she changed already by only spending a few hours in _that _Naruto's presence?

Kiba felt the familiar feeling of jealousy and rivalry bubble up in his stomach as he glanced up at Hinata. No. Hinata was his! He had wanted her long before Naruto did! She was his prize! The ultimate prize to claim in order to finally beat Naruto…to match up to him, perhaps not in strength, but certainly in wealth…Hinata would add to his wealth immensely…the girlfriend that Naruto ached for would be Kiba's instead, and finally everyone would know that he was indeed superior…

"Hinata," he said again, and Hinata hesitantly looked back up at him, noticing his serious tone of voice and his hands that had balled themselves into fists and which shook lightly, "Hinata, I know that you have always had this…this thing for Naruto…but he's never felt that way about you! He's leading you on Hinata, why can't you see that?"

Kiba's words shocked Hinata, and her hand automatically jumped up to her neck in her usual sign of distress. What was Kiba saying? Did he know something that she didn't?

"He's never been there for you Hinata, but…but other people have. _I _always have!" Kiba said, and he took a step towards her, grasping her free hand firmly in his. Hinata tried to pull away in surprise, but he was much stronger than she was, and he held her firmly, hurting her slightly. Her other hand remained at her chest, and she felt the cold metal of the necklace brush against her fingers and press against her skin, right over the area where her heart lay.

"Hinata!" Kiba said, apparently searching for the right words, and Hinata's heart quickened with fear, "Hinata…I!"

Hinata grasped the necklace around her neck, praying for someone to save her from this new Kiba…this Kiba who was suddenly aggressive, intense and frightening, and as she wished this she heard a slight noise behind her.

"Hinata I want y-!"

"Hinata-sama is there a problem here?" said a cold, almost emotionless voice, cutting Kiba off. He looked up at the voice; past Hinata's tear filled eyes he saw her cousin, Neji Hyuuga, standing behind her, staring daggers at him.

Kiba hurriedly released Hinata, who staggered backwards, clutching her wrist, and Neji caught her lightly and stepped forwards. Kiba backed away slightly, saying hurriedly.

"N-No problem here, Neji, I was just about to be on my way!"

"Good," the male Hyuuga said, and Kiba motioned to Akamaru and the two of them walked off hurriedly in the same direction as Naruto, Neji keeping an eye on them until their backs retreated into the horizon. Kiba wasn't going to mess with Neji…that stupid and brave he was not.

"Are you alright, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked, obviously concerned for his cousin.

Yes…" she muttered quietly, and Neji lifted her face by her chin lightly, staring into her still teary eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

The thing was that she wasn't sure…not in the slightest.


	6. Chapter 6: Me and my Shadow

New Found Attraction

_Hello everyone, I'm back with a brand new chapter!! Yay! Took me a bit of effort to find time to write it, but hey, it's done and I hope you like it all. :-D_

_Thank you kindly to Otherrealmwriter and Belladonna-Isabella for their kind reviews, I hope to keep you both as captivated readers. ;-)_

_Don't forget to review after reading this chapter and let me know your thoughts, I really love to know what they are! It makes my day to log on to find a review or two, it really does!_

_Well, lets get to the next chapter then, and I promise that the story may seem as though it's standing stil right now, but it will evolve with time...look forward to chapter 9 and 10 in which the plot really thickens...but first it's chapter 7&8, but until then, toodles!!_

_Nix_

**Chapter Six**

Me and my shadow

"What!" Shikamaru exclaimed, slamming his fist on the desk and looking up at the woman who made his life so difficult, "You can't be serious Tsunade-sama!"

"I'm dead serious," said the woman, but her naughty smile spoiled the intense effect, and Shikamaru could tell that she was just trying to be difficult.

After Shikamaru had ended his shift at the guard station and waited for the other two guards to arrive he had made his way to the Hokage's office to receive a briefing of his new mission and to find out who he would be escorting for the next few weeks. Once he had arrived at the office he had gently knocked on the door and been told to enter. What he found inside was a bit of a surprise to him.

Temari was sitting on the Hokage's desk, laughing happily along with the Hokage, who held a small cup of sake in her hand. The two seemed to be discussing something very interesting, and Shikamaru felt very uncomfortable; it was like he had walked in on something that he shouldn't have.

"Ah, Shikamaru," the Hokage greeted him brightly and he walked forward apprehensively, taking in the scene around him, "Ready for your next mission?"

"Do I have a choice?" he asked, and Tsunade only smiled wider at this, downing the rest of her sake and looking over at Temari who was shaking her head.

"Always need to complain, don't you Nara?" said Temari, and she seductively unfolded her legs and lifted herself off of the desk, coming towards him with a sexy smile on her face. Shikamaru gulped slightly, but stood his ground nonetheless, and before he knew it Temari was saying quietly into his ear:

"We won't be having any of that while you look after me these next few weeks, will we?"

"What?" Shikamaru said stupidly. She smelled very nice, and he couldn't help but be momentarily dumbfounded.

"Oh yes, Shikamaru," Tsunade said, sitting back in her high backed chair and observing him from over her joined hands, "Escorting Temari around for the next few weeks will be your new mission…however, since she already knows the village very well you'll be more like her…babysitter?" Tsunade smiled gleefully and Temari tried to pass a laugh off as a cough, and failed.

"What!" Shikamaru exploded, and he pointed towards the girl now sitting on a bench next to the window who eyed him hungrily, "She's the ambassador who I'm supposed to take care of for the next month and however longer?"

"Well, she is the Sand ambassador after all, what's wrong with it?" Tsunade said matter-of-factly, and Shikamaru clutched his head in frustration. Why couldn't these women get it! Didn't the Hokage have any idea how troublesome this woman actually was?

"But! But…"

"Wow Shikamaru, I didn't know that I was that troublesome to you…" Temari muttered quietly, putting on a puppy pout, which made Shikamaru stop at his attempt of changing Tsunade's mind.

"Fine…" he said, crossing his arms and sighing, "I'm not gonna win against you two women anyway."

"Finally, you've accepted that we women are superior." Temari said, and Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again under Tsunade's fierce glare.

"Now then, Temari will need a place to stay while she visits us…we could always put her up in a hotel, but I know how uncomfortable it can be to live out of a suitcase for a month..." Tsunade muttered, placing her chin on the palm of her hand and looking over at Shikamaru innocently, "Any suggestions Shikamaru?"

"I can see what you're thinking, and the answer is no." Shikamaru said pointedly, crossing his arms and watching Temari's face fall slightly, "She's not staying with me."

"How perverted of you Shikamaru, I would never have suggested something like that!" Tsunade exclaimed, and Shikamaru looked at her disbelievingly.

"But…" Tsunade mumbled, the evil grin returning to her face, "Now that you mention it, it does sound like a solution to all of our problems for her to stay at your place…"

"I live with my parents!" he said quickly, but Tsunade cut him off.

"Don't lie! I heard you moved out about a week ago into a lovely apartment in the same building as Naruto's." Tsunade grinned, and Shikamaru immediately jumped up with a new defense.

"There's not enough room! There's only one bed!"

"That's okay," Temari piped up, "You can take the couch."

"What! Hokage-sama, I refuse to allow a woman to live in my house for an entire month!"

Shikamaru had reached boiling point. He was often rather calm in any situation, but this one had gotten out of hand. It wasn't that he didn't want Temari to stay with him; in fact his heart was racing at the idea of having her under his nose, sleeping a few steps away from him. The only thing that was bothering him was whether or not he would be able to handle the situation…he didn't know what he would try to do with her if he got the chance. He didn't trust himself to step away from Temari if given the opportunity to be close to her…he needed to avoid it as much as he could.

"I order it!" Tsunade said fiercely, standing up hastily, and he recoiled slightly, "It is a part of your mission Shikamaru, and I order you to carry it out, no matter what!"

He tried to retort again, but, sensing another of those losing battles that he often experienced with the Hokage, he sighed and crossed his arms once again.

"Yes ma'am…" he surrendered, and Tsunade sat down again with a grunt of triumph.

"Good," she finished, shooing the two of them away with a gesture of her hand, "Now, Temari, why don't you get settled in and go and enjoy the night life? Get Shikamaru to show you where all the best places are. Charge everything to my name, I'll cover it."

The two woman exchanged nods, and Shikamaru saw the Hokage wink slightly at the Sand-nin, who smiled gratefully and turned to follow Shikamaru out of the door.

"Oh, and Shikamaru," the Hokage shouted, and he turned around to face her once more, "Behave yourself…"

She winked at him as well, and he felt himself blush slightly as he realized what she was referring to, and he turned around hastily, muttering to himself again.

The two of them strolled down the street, away from the Hokage's office; the man walking slightly in front, his arms behind his head in a casual stance, staring up at the clouds above. The woman followed him carefully, her hands clasped behind her back, as she curiously watched him, her eyes jumping from his back which bore her heavy traveling bag upon it, to the sky above; to his feet and to the back of his head, from which she could see his nose pointing up from it, his face obviously turned towards the sky.

Shikamaru had a habit of doing this, she knew, but she had never actually figured out what it was that he would stare at for hours on end…Her eyes lifted skywards again, and she took in the scene above her: The clouds drifted lazily across the sky, disappearing into wisps of air here and there, and she suddenly found herself intrigued.

Passers-by watched the two curiously as they passed, both their faces turned upwards and small smiles on their faces. Many of the villagers glanced upwards as well, but, seeing nothing, simply shook their heads and carried on with their business. Temari counted the clouds above, all of her senses suddenly acute, and she took in the smells and the sounds of the village around her. She closed her eyes briefly and breathed in deeply; she had grown to love the peacefulness of this village, but her thoughts were knocked out of her suddenly as she collided with something strong and sturdy in front of her.

She lost her footing and fell backwards, the weight of the large fan on her back helping her along, and she closed her eyes even more tightly, waiting for the impact of the hard ground to hit her…but it never came. Instead she felt strong, rough hands grab her shoulders and pull her into the arms of a person…a person who smelled ever so sweetly of pineapples and freshly cut grass…

"Whoa, watch it," he said, and she breathed him in, opening her eyes ever so slightly, "You okay Temari?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled, still lost in this new world which made her senses tingle and her heart melt. She suddenly recognized the voice and her eyes snapped open, causing her to stand upright and push him away, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks.

"I'm fine!" she said loudly, and Shikamaru stood there, dumbfounded by the reaction he received from her, "Why should anything be wrong, Nara?"

"Well," he said, also turning on the defensive attitude and straightening up himself, "You're the one that just walked straight into me, and almost fell! Why don't you watch where you're walking, woman?"

"Speak for yourself!" she spat at him, "Your head is constantly turned skywards, it's a miracle that you manage to walk around and not injure yourself!"

"So what? I like looking up at the clouds, and I don't walk into people like you do! What happened anyway, were you momentarily struck blind or what?"

"Well, I…" she trailed off, and she shuffled her feet in an embarrassed manner, "Why…why did you stop walking anyway?"

Shikamaru sighed and jabbed his head in the direction of the building next to them.

"We're here. This is my block of flats."

"Oh," Temari said quietly, but then immediately returned to her usual, bossy self, "Well, what are we doing standing out here then? Lead me in, Nara!"

He sighed again, but turned and walked through the arched doorway nonetheless. Temari followed, her head whirling with a flurry of new, exciting thoughts and her heart beating ever faster at the new exciting feelings that were present there. He had held her in his arms and she had nuzzled her face into his chest…

She smiled as she climbed up three flights of stairs behind Shikamaru, and she admired him from behind again. Even though he was so much younger than her she couldn't help but find herself immensely attracted to something about him, but she had trouble showing it at times. She could sense the chemistry between the two of them, and they flirted almost constantly beneath all the insults and the perception of being forced to be friendly with each other, yet she was too scared to try anything beyond that, for she feared that he didn't feel the same way…he was a child after all, and she was practically an adult. Nothing would be more embarrassing than admitting your love to someone younger than you and being rejected.

Shikamaru reached the third floor and walked down the hallway to the second door on the left. He took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it and holding it aside for her so that she could pass through first. Temari walked past him, smiling sweetly at him for this gentleman-like behaviour, and brushing her hand lightly across his chest as a gesture of thanks. She could feel his body tense up beneath her touch, but immediately relax again, and she smiled even wider at this.

The apartment was fairly spacious, with a kitchen to the left side of the door and a small sitting room across from it in the middle of the first room. A sliding door at the other end of the room indicated a balcony with a small table and chairs set upon it. The sun shone brightly through the glass door, and Temari noticed that Shikamaru had very little decoration around his sitting room. There was a large sleeper couch, and a smaller armchair with a carpet and small coffee table in the middle of the room, but there were no curtains, pictures or vases of flowers anywhere to be seen. It was clear that he had only recently moved in, and that he had very little imagination when it came to making a place feel homey.

Next to the kitchen was a hallway to the left which had two doors leading off to the left and the right. One was open, and Temari saw that it was the bathroom on the left hand side…so that meant…

Temari curiously reached out to the door handle of the other room, but her hand was stopped by Shikamaru who had followed her in and was still carrying her bag on his back.

"That's my room," he said bluntly, and Temari smirked at him.

"So?"

"So, it's mine. It's not fit for other's eyes…at least not until I clean it up a bit."

She laughed lightly and took her hand away, making her way back into the sitting room. She heaved her heavy fan off of her back and placed it against the coffee table. She then sat herself down on the couch and crossed her legs.

"Well, don't let me stop you then," she said, "Go ahead and clean it up, I'll be right here."

He threw her bag off of his shoulder and placed it at her feet, then made his way to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He then turned around to view the catastrophe before him. It looked as if an explosive tag had hit the room; there were clothes and food wrappers and underwear lying all over the floor of the room. The bed wasn't made up and the curtains were drawn, blocking out the sunlight. The room also had a musty smell to it, and Shikamaru sighed as he took in the sight. How troublesome it was that he had to clean this mess up just because the Hokage had forced him to take on a new house guest…it seemed that, along with his own, he now had a new shadow to follow him around…

--

_See that pretty button right below?? Click it and show me some loving! Review, review, review!!_

_Nix_


	7. Chapter 7: Past the point of no return

New Found Attraction

**Chapter Seven**

Past the point of no return

Kiba made his way down the busy streets of Konoha, Akamaru following close behind him. He walked at a fast pace, his head spinning and his breathing heavy. He couldn't believe what had just happened; he had finally decided to let his feelings be known to Hinata, only to be interrupted by her highly intimidating older cousin. The last thing he wanted was to be involved in a fight with Neji; therefore he had fled quite quickly after he had arrived, and now it felt like his path had been lain out for him.

He knew what he had to do to get Hinata…he had to beat Naruto, that he had always known, but now he had others to beat as well. Neji Hyuuga. If Naruto wasn't always there to protect Hinata then Neji certainly would be; he and Hinata had grown closer ever since he had been accepted into the main branches family, and everyone had begun to pick up that he was extremely protective of her. Anyone who crossed Hinata's path crossed Neji's as well, and no one wanted to cross Neji…the only one who was brave enough (and, perhaps, stupid enough) to do it was Naruto. Yet another area in which Kiba lacked in comparison with Naruto…stamina and never-ending nerve.

Kiba had his doubts at times during battles, but that was usually where Akamaru would jump in and motivate him to carry on. Naruto, however, never needed motivation from anybody; he was a constant surge of bravery, nerve, motivation and stamina…everything that Kiba strived to be in order to gain approval.

Perhaps the worst of it all was the fact that, despite Naruto's sometimes annoying and ignorant attitude; he was loved by almost all the adult and child ninja alike. He had long befriended their academy teacher, Iruka-sensei, he had been a favourite of the Third Hokage and was even now given special advantages over the rest of the ninja in the village by the Fifth…he was a student and friend to two of the legendary Sanin and was even a rival to another; he was admired by the Third Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru, and was even thought of as a noble man among their own age group.

Try as he might, Kiba would never be able to compare to Naruto, and his jealousy had grown stronger as Naruto's popularity grew wider, and soon a deep rivalry had been forged between the two childhood friends. Though, it was not a friendly rivalry like the one shared between Might Guy and Hatake Kakashi…at least, for Kiba it most certainly wasn't. He wanted to humiliate and beat Naruto out of the new mindset the village had created of him, and had succeeded a few times already. However, Naruto always took a loss or a prank up lightheartedly and the village never acknowledged Kiba the way they did Naruto, even when he did win.

To the rest of them their rivalry was only a friendly one, but to Kiba it was much, much more. Hinata was the newest twist in the plot, however. Kiba had always thought lightly of the relationship Hinata and Naruto shared; he was convinced it was a one-sided infatuation, and that Hinata would wake from the dream soon, but as they all grew older Kiba grew wearier and wearier of their relationship. He watched it develop from a mere acquaintanceship to a close friendship, and now he was certain it was starting to pass the point of no return.

Kiba had never really been interested in having a relationship before; he had always been happy with it just being him and Akamaru, but as he grew older and his senses began to grow sharper, his nose started picking up strange new smells that he had never smelt on his friends before. He would often smell it on some of the older ninja's when he passed a group or a couple in conversation, but soon he started picking it up from his old classmates when they were in conversation themselves, or he would smell it coming strongly from a house or a bedroom when he went to visit them at their homes.

He soon realized that what he smelled was a mixture of hormones which made up the smell of attraction and lust. Because of this keen new ability that he had picked up he knew which girls were attracted to him and who was attracted to whom in the village. He'd be able to pick up who were in a purely physical relationship and who were in a more loving one. He had begun to pick up the smell of love as well during all of his experimenting with his new acute senses, and it was now a frequent hobby of his to just wander around the village and sniff around for the fun of it.

However, as Kiba noticed this smell emitting from others around him he also began to smell and sense it coming from him whenever he walked past a sexy girl or when he had a conversation with a girl who showed great intelligence. He now knew what type of girls he was attracted to, and therefore he began on the journey called dating which so many of his peers had already started. He didn't consider himself a handsome man, nor did he consider himself ugly, yet it seemed as if the girls he liked found him extremely attractive.

He was a bit of a runaway hound in the beginning, dating as many girls as he could, but soon he grew tired of them and went back to the single life which just consisted of him and Akamaru, which suited him. And then, one day, while him, Hinata and Shino were out in the training field, Naruto happened to come by and watch, claiming he had nothing better to do. That was when Kiba smelt it.

Every time Hinata passed by Naruto, whether she was dodging blades or attacking the other two Naruto emitted a strong smell of…was it lust? Or was it love? Kiba couldn't tell, but he could definitely pick both of those elements up from both of them. Love was coming stronger from Hinata, but there was also an aspect of lust hidden beneath it. Naruto, on the other hand, was emitting a powerful scent of lust, but beneath that Kiba also picked up a lot of admiration.

It had bothered him; but not that he was attracted to Hinata, because at that stage it hadn't even occurred to him yet that he lusted after her himself, but it bothered him simply because it was Naruto who was sitting there. Naruto was sitting there observing their training session and lusting after one of their teammates. It had bothered him so much that he had 'accidentally' knocked Naruto off of his tree branch whenever he had found opportunity to do so, and eventually he had stalked off, leaving them, and Kiba's nose, in peace.

Kiba sighed and stretched his arms over his head. It had been quiet for the ninja's in the village lately; it seemed that things were becoming peaceful in the Fire country, and this left the ninja's with very little to do without the missions which constantly used to keep them busy. Kiba didn't mind it that much, because this left him with a lot of time to relax and train, but after a month of doing nothing but that he had begun to yearn for something better to do. It seemed that continuing the rivalry between himself and Naruto was a perfect way to pass the time, but for now he would get back to his new found hobby.

Perhaps he had become a bit perverted with the use of his new found talent, and Kiba had often tracked a strong smell of lust to a scene involving an intimate couple or two. One of his new favourite spots to hang out was the Konoha hot springs, where Kiba gained much entertainment from the sights and smells around him, and the occupants of the baths had made Kiba their new enemy. Well, only those who managed to catch him, of course.

Kiba heightened his sense of smell as he walked at a slower pace down the streets, and an entire world of emphasized smells came towards him. He concentrated and soon he was able to pick up the smell which had driven him to his new bad habits, and he sniffed it in with pleasure, feeling himself grow hot and bothered at the same time. Soon a strong smell drifted towards him, and he followed it with his nose at a quick pace, dodging passers-by and leaping over walls and fences to get to it.

It was a delicious smell, and he was certain that he was going to find something interesting along with it. As he grew closer he began to pick up a familiar smell along with it. He knew these two people, and as he rounded a corner he saw them. Shikamaru was standing in the street supporting a blonde-haired girl who had her face pressed into his chest. He was smiling down at her, and Kiba noticed him move in closer and breathe her in a little before opening his mouth and speaking to her.

Kiba smiled to himself; so this was the girl that had Shikamaru so wound up then? Who was she? As she straightened up and the two of them began to argue in raised voices Kiba saw that it was the Sand ninja which Shikamaru had battled in the Chuunin exams, and he backed off slightly. He knew that she had a vicious temper on her, and that she and Shikamaru fought like cat and dog at times. He certainly didn't want to get involved in that.

'_I would never have expected those two to be…involved'_, he thought to himself, checking Temari out despite himself, _'But, heck, who could blame him? She's a catch alright…'_

He watched the two of them arguing with each other, Temari looking more and more threatening, and he immediately changed his mind.

'_That attitude and temper kind of ruins it for me, though.'_

Kiba's nose shot back into action suddenly and he smelt something that he didn't like. He looked past the pair who were now making their way into the building to their right, and saw Naruto coming down the path towards him. In his hand he held a scroll with the Fifth Hokage's seal upon it; no doubt he had been called to her office to receive a mission that the rest of the ninja's in the village would kill for. Kiba gritted his teeth and looked towards Akamaru who whined slightly and lowered his head. Akamaru could always sense when Kiba was about to encounter his rival, and he had begun to grow tired of it. But, nonetheless, Kiba was his master and friend, and therefore he supported him no matter what.

Kiba sighed and walked towards Naruto, who hadn't seemed to notice him yet. He followed him into the building after Shikamaru and Temari, all the way up to the top floor, where Naruto fiddled in his pocket for his keys. Kiba approached him slowly.

"Yo Naruto,"

"Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping slightly on the spot and dropping his keys, "Damn, why do you sneak up on me like that?"

"It's your fault for not being more observant," Kiba sneered, folding his arms and leaning against the wall in order to appear more intimidating. Naruto looked him up and down, recognizing that Kiba was looking for a fight again. Almost every time Naruto saw Kiba these days he wanted a fight. He sighed.

"Look, Kiba, I'm not in the mood right now, go find someone else to pick on."

"What were you doing with Hinata this morning Naruto?"

Naruto didn't expect Kiba to ask him this, and he was momentarily caught off guard as a felt himself blush in front of him.

"N-Nothing important, why do you want to know?"

"Hinata's my teammate and my friend. Of course I want to know."

"I don't enquire into your life, why should you enquire into mine?" Naruto said, stooping to pick up his keys and proceeding to unlock his door.

"Hinata's not a part of your life, Naruto," Kiba said aggressively and Naruto paused slightly, closing his eyes.

"She's my friend too Kiba," he said, trying to keep his voice calm, "I'm allowed to spend time with her if I want to."

"Not if I have a say in it!"

Kiba moved forwards and Naruto took a step forward as well in defense, saying loudly:

"Why should you have a say in it? She doesn't belong to you, Kiba!"

"She's mine Naruto; you just stay away from her!"

"Make me, dog boy!"

Kiba leaped forwards, his arms outstretched. Naruto finally managed to unlock his front door, and he fell through it, Kiba sailing past him, shutting it tightly behind him. Kiba lifted himself up from the floor, rushing towards Naruto's closed door.

"You think you're safe in there? Ha! We'll talk about this later, coward!" he shouted, and he rushed down the stairs towards the front of the building where Akamaru was waiting for him.

"Come on boy, it's time we turned things around. Things are going to be different from now on!"

Akamaru gave a bark of approval and the two of them rushed down the street once more.


	8. Chapter 8: Mistaken emotions

New Found Attraction

Hello everyone, just wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter...it really makes me happy that I am able to provide you with some good, interesting reading, and I hope to be able to keep it up! Keep reviewing everyone, please? Reviews really make my day.

Wanna say a special thak you to otherrealmwriter who has stayed loyal from the beginning. And to my new readers, GoingGhost, Narutotypster, Epidot, NICE, Shaun Cruz, evelsaint93 and Chiodosromancer: I hope Ia'm able to keep you guys hooked!!

No, without further waiting, here's Chapter Eight!

**Chapter Eight**

Mistaken emotions

Naruto sighed as he leaned his back against the door, hearing Kiba thunder down the stairs and along the street outside of the building. It wasn't like Naruto to back away from a fight, but he had grown tired of fighting Kiba. He didn't know why the guy had such an issue with him, but Naruto knew that there was nothing he could do or say to stop Kiba bickering with him. Sakura had told Naruto many times before that Kiba was only jealous, and was only trying to prove to everyone else that he was better, but Naruto was convinced that Kiba wasn't trying to prove something to others. Deep down inside Naruto knew he wanted to prove something to himself, and that was why he envied Naruto.

Naruto had proven time and time again to the village that he was to be trusted and that he was a worthy fighter and protector, and through this he had gained the acknowledgement he had always wanted. He had fought for it, and Naruto knew that Kiba was doing exactly the same thing, but he was doing it in the wrong way. Kiba had to try and create his own legacy; not try to break the legacy of another.

Naruto sighed again and walked away from his door, placing the scroll that the Hokage had entrusted to him on his kitchen counter. The scroll…

Was it simply coincidence that the Hokage had entrusted this valuable item along with the important information onto him at this time? Did she secretly know that he and Hinata had begun to grow closer, and was that why she trusted him above everyone else to protect her? She could've picked Kiba, or Shino, who had been Hinata's teammates for the past five years and who certainly knew her better than Naruto did. But no, she picked him.

Naruto shook his head and walked towards the sliding door, opening it wide to bring in sunlight and fresh air. He would not think about the scroll now, he would worry about it later, right now all he wanted to do was relax and think back on the days events.

How was it that simply waking up from a frustrating dream and deciding to take an early morning walk had lead to the revealing of his, and Hinata's, true feelings?

He had begun to enjoy Hinata's company more and more over the years they had spent together as friends, and almost a year ago he had suddenly discovered that what he felt for her was much more than friendship. She was easy to talk to and was a good listener whenever he had needed someone to confide in, even when they were children. He thought back on the time that she had comforted him before his first Chuunin Exam, and mentally shook himself for never realizing how special she really was then. He had actually told her that she was weird, and he wondered whether he might have hurt her slightly that day.

He walked out onto his balcony, resting his arms on the railing and staring out over the village. He liked the view from his balcony; every morning he would wake up and admire the village and the people in it before heading in and getting ready for the day. He stared down at the street below, watching the villagers go about their business, when he noticed someone standing on the balcony below him. Someone with gorgeous blonde hair; she stood gracefully upon the balcony, staring out at the town just as he was.

He looked closer, and soon he recognized who it was. He jumped down from his balcony, landing on the railings right before the girl, who didn't even flinch.

"Long time no see!" Naruto said enthusiastically, and Temari smiled up at him, chuckling slightly to herself.

"You haven't changed a bit Naruto,"

He laughed, smiling widely and jumping down next to her, "Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"I'll still have to decide," the girl said, laughing, as she looked the boy up and down. He had grown up considerably since she had last seen him, and his outgoing personality still shone through his mannerisms immensely. She had grown to like Naruto a lot over the years; he had done a lot for her brother, Gaara, and he was always ready to help no matter what situation he found himself in. He could be obnoxious and slightly too over-enthusiastic at times, but he was really someone that a person could grow attached to.

"So, what are you doing in Konoha?" Naruto asked and he saw her smile sweetly at him. He had also grown to like Temari; she wasn't bad at getting along with, and she respected him a lot for what he had done for her and her brothers, and Naruto enjoyed her conversation. Even though she was older, he felt like she was like many of his friends from his own age group, and she got along with all of them equally well.

"I'm doing research on Konoha's teaching regime," she replied simply and Naruto nodded. He had heard from Gaara that the Sand village had begun to upgrade their teaching methods.

"Temari?" the two heard from behind them, and they turned around to see Shikamaru coming around the corner, his arms filled with dirty clothes and rubbish, "You can go in now, I think it's reasonably clean…"

He stopped as he saw Naruto standing there, and he quickly tossed the clothes into a basket behind him.

"Naruto! What are you doing here?" he asked nervously, wondering what was racing through Naruto's mind.

Naruto's observed Shikamaru, who was looking down, his face slightly red, and his eyes darted immediately to Temari, who was still standing comfortably, looking at Shikamaru with a seductive look in her eyes. It took Naruto a while, but eventually his mind put two and two together.

"Ah!" he said loudly, pointing at Shikamaru and Temari in earnest, "Are you two?"

"What! No!" Shikamaru said quickly, his cheeks reddening even further, but Naruto wouldn't believe him.

"Then what's she doing in your apartment, and why are you cleaning your room out for her? Huh?"

"It's not what it looks like Naruto!" Shikamaru said hurriedly, and Temari giggled slightly, winking at Naruto.

"He's only saying that," she said, and Naruto's eyes grew even wider.

"Shikamaru!"

"No!"

"Then what?"

"It's a misunderstanding!"

"Is it?" Temari piped up, enjoying the effect that the situation was having on them.

"Temari!"

"What?"

"Don't make things up!"

"Speak for yourself…"

"Temari!"

"Yes?"

Shikamaru looked around frantically, searching for a way out of this sticky situation. Eventually he sighed and calmed down, however, Naruto was still standing there, dumfounded, and Temari was still smiling mischievously at him.

"Naruto, Temari is in Konoha in order to do research, and the Hokage assigned her to stay with me for the duration of her visit. There is nothing going on between us." He said this quietly, his eyes closed, and then he looked up at Temari with a cold look, "No matter what Temari might say; there's nothing going on between us."

Temari's face fell and Naruto dropped his arms which were still pointing at them and sighed slightly.

"You almost gave me a heart attack there, ya know?" Naruto said, and leant back on the railings.

"What does it have to do with you anyway?" Shikamaru stated, looking over at Temari, concerned. She was all of a sudden very quiet and was looking down at her feet. Had he said something offensive perhaps?

"Everything!" Naruto exclaimed, "I live right above you two! I should at least know!"

"Naruto, sometimes you enjoy gossip more than the girls in this village, you know?" Shikamaru chuckled.

"No I do not," Naruto stated, folding his arms stubbornly, but then added slyly, "So, what you two going to do tonight? Cook a romantic dinner and spend the night absorbed in each others conversation? He he…"

Shikamaru blushed slightly, but ignored it, saying: "No. I've been ordered by the Hokage to take Temari out tonight, on her tab."

"Really? How awesome! Can I join?" Naruto asked, and Shikamaru paused slightly. Normally he wouldn't have minded if Naruto came along, but he had been hoping to spend some time with Temari alone that night…

He looked over at Temari again, who looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders lightly, indicating that she didn't mind.

"Sure, Naruto," he said, "We'll meet you at the usual place, ok?"

"Awesome," Naruto said, and he jumped back up on the railings and up to his own balcony, "See you soon!"

As soon as Naruto had disappeared Shikamaru looked over at Temari again, who's eyes were once again focused on her feet.

'_Orders,'_ she thought to herself, her heart aching, _'The only reason why he's around me is because he was ordered to be…there's never going to be anything between us. He doesn't feel the same way…'_

She felt her eyes grow wet, and she blinked the tears away hurriedly, still trying to hide her face from Shikamaru.

"Temari?" he asked quietly, and she sniffed quietly, "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" she muttered innocently, "Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just tired…long journey here today, you know?"

Shikamaru wasn't convinced by Temari's excuse, but he pretended to believe it anyway, not wanting to pry where he wasn't wanted.

"Alright then, how about you have a lie down before we go out tonight? You can have my room."

"What? No, Shikamaru, I couldn't…"

"It's fine," he said, cutting her off, "It's more comfortable and private than the couch out front. Have a lie down and I'll wake you up in time to get ready, alright?"

"Alright," Temari answered, and followed him back inside the apartment. Inside herself though, she felt different. She had always been accustomed to the idea that she and Shikamaru had the possibility of a future together, but now she was beginning to doubt it. He was an extremely difficult person to read, after all, and maybe she had read him wrongly all of these years. She felt the tears threatening to come again, but held them back until Shikamaru had closed the bedroom door behind him. She then threw herself onto the bed and cried herself to sleep, while Shikamaru listened outside the door, unable to understand the situation for one of the first times in his life.


	9. Chapter 9: The secret message

New Found Attraction

_Hello again everybody! Been extremely busy lately; I won a trip from my university for being in the top 20 of my course, so my fellow nerds and I went to the beach for a week. :-D he he he. But still, I didn't want to disappoint, so here's my next chapter! The plot begins to unravel here...it's time to find out what the Hokage wants from Naruto this time around..._

**Chapter Nine**

The secret message

Naruto reached the top of his balcony, shielding his eyes from the sun that was staring out at him from behind one of the taller buildings in the village. The sun was setting, giving the sky a reddish glow and a chill suddenly ran up Naruto's spine as he remembered the conversation he had had earlier that day…

Naruto looked into his home, spotting the scroll on the kitchen counter, exactly where he had left it. He sighed and turned his back on the beautiful sunset before him, making his way back indoors and closing the glass door behind him. He made his way over to the scroll, taking it in his hands once again as his memories came back to him.

"Enter," the Hokage said clearly, and Naruto opened the door on which he had just knocked to see the Hokage sitting with her back to him, staring out at the afternoon sky.

"You called for me, Tsunade-sama?" Naruto said, edging into the room slowly and shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Yes, Naruto," Tsunade said, turning around in her chair to face him, a puzzled look on her face, "I'm glad you could come on such short notice."

"No problem," he said, and Tsunade smiled at the young man before her, who she had grown to like so much. She suddenly sighed and looked down at the page before her, considering what to tell him.

"I've called you here today, Naruto, concerning a matter of extreme confidentiality."

Naruto looked at her, confused, and Tsunade sighed again.

"In other words, what I tell you here must be kept a secret."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, and he snapped his full attention onto her, intrigued to hear what she had to tell him.

"Take a seat," she said, and Naruto sat down hesitantly. He had never been told to take a seat in the Hokage's office before. This must've been serious.

"Naruto, how is it going amoungst you and your friends?" Tsunade asked suddenly, and Naruto was taken aback slightly.

"A-Alright I guess…" he said vaguely, and the Hokage nodded.

"Do you feel that you have grown closer to them? Do you feel that they can trust you, and you them, no matter what?"

"Of course!" he said, "They're my friends! I'd put my life on the line to protect them, and I'm sure they'd do the same for me!"

"As I expected of you," Tsunade said, smiling slightly to herself, "You have always been extremely loyal to your friends, Naruto."

"Well…no…not really, I just…"

"Don't like to see them get hurt?" the Hokage suggested quietly, and Naruto nodded firmly.

"That is the reason why I have called you here; of all the ninja I know, you are the most suited to this assignment; your loyalty and honorability knows no bounds."

Naruto blushed slightly at the praise the Hokage was giving him, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. What was so important that she needed to tell him?

"Naruto, how close is your friendship with Hinata Hyuuga?"

This time Naruto blushed even more deeply, and the Hokage's eyes widened slightly at his reaction to the girls name.

"We're…close…" Naruto trailed off, and he averted his eyes from the Hokage's piercing stare, "We've become close friends over the years."

"Good, then I'm sure you won't protest if you hear what I am about to tell you. It concerns Hinata greatly, and it is of utmost importance that you understand what I am saying. Please, just sit and listen. I will answer your questions afterwards."

Naruto nodded to show that he understood, and the Hokage took a deep breath before talking again.

"As you know, Hinata is the eldest of the Hyuuga children, and therefore she is to succeed her father as the head of the Hyuuga family after he has died. However, because of Hinata's lack of strength as a child, her father declared her unworthy to take her rightful position as head of the family, and gave the honour to her sister instead."

Naruto nodded again, and the Hokage took note of the stern expression on his face before continuing.

"Due to certain new events, however, her father has once again declared her worthy of the title. Hinata has been training harshly with her cousin, Neji, for years now, and Sir Hyuuga has noticed her improvement. He was in here only last week telling me about how proud he is of his eldest daughter, and that he was wrong to ever doubt her. This sudden realization couldn't have come at a better time.

"Two days ago, Naruto, a messenger came to see me. He claimed that he was from the Fire country, but after interrogation it has been confirmed that he is from the Rice country…from the hidden village of Sound."

"Wait, but…does that mean that…Orochimaru!" Naruto blurted out, and the Hokage silenced him with a hand, and he fell silent once again.

"We must not jump to conclusions," she said, but looked up at Naruto with a girlish twinkle in her eye, "But, yes, there is a possibility that Orochimaru could be behind whatever is about to happen."

"What did the messenger say, Tsunade-sama?" Naruto asked again, but fell silent once more beneath the Hokage's piercing glare.

"I was about to get to that Naruto, but I thank you for asking anyway. The messenger came bearing a scroll, containing some information that could easily be overlooked by others…"

The Hokage paused and opened up one of her drawers, scratching inside of it and withdrawing a small blue scroll with strange markings around the edge. Naruto looked at it curiously, and the Hokage proceeded to open it and read the contents to him:

_Dear Kage,_

_I am writing to provide an invitation to you and your village to join us in the participation of an extraordinary event that we hope to soon grow very popular among the hidden villages of this world._

_All Ninja Villages tend to have a Head Family that lives within their borders and fights with their lives to protect the village that they call home. These family's, often with their very own powerful bloodline limit, intrigue me, and I wonder if perhaps I could interest them in a little…competition._

_Who amongst all the Hidden Villages is the strongest? This can only be determined by a test of the villages' most noble family's, in order for them to prove to us that they belong where they have been so highly placed. I require fighters from the soon to be successors of these households (in other words the first born children of the Heads of the family's), and I require them to fight for my enjoyment, and for the determination of the strongest ninja village in the land._

_Different families will battle each other randomly, until we have an overall winner. That Head family member will then battle _my _child of noble birth. Soon we will determine who is stronger…the Ninja Villages, or my child of destruction._

_Write if you show any interest, and, if not…well, they'll get to compete either way. An attack on a village will be only a taste of my true power._

_Looking forward to your co-operation,_

_Lord Tsibiki_

_Of the Fire Country. _

There was silence in the office as Tsunade finished reading, and Naruto shifted slightly in his chair as she sighed and placed the scroll down.

"Do you realize the serious situation of this all?"

He shook his head slowly; he was still trying to make sense of what he had just heard when Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk, making the entire floor tremble.

"We have no choice Naruto! We have to partake in this ridiculous affair in order to ensure the safety of our village! If Orochimaru is indeed behind this, who knows what he could do to our village? We need to send the eldest child of our most noble family to him, which means that Hinata and the fate of the entire Hyuuga clan are in danger! This is why we need to devise a plan…"

Tsunade scratched into one of her drawers again and withdrew another scroll, but this one was blank. She rolled it out onto her desk and proceeded to draw a summoning array onto the parchment. She then rolled it up, took a large stamp from her desk and placed her seal upon it, before handing it to Naruto, who took it lightly, confused.

"Tomorrow at dusk, I want you to open this scroll. Two people will appear from it. They will tell you all that you need to know. Naruto, I recommended you for this mission, because I knew you would not back down from it once you knew all the details, and because I know you will do everything in your power to protect your friends."

Naruto was still confused. Exactly what did she want him to do? He opened his mouth to ask some more questions, but Tsunade silenced him with her hand once more.

"There is nothing more that I can tell you at this moment, the rest will be left to the other two. I need you to protect her, Naruto. You are one of the few that I can trust to do it. You may go."

Naruto stood up obediently and left the office without another word. His mind was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice Temari standing right outside the door, waiting to go in. He didn't notice Shikamaru pass him on the way into the building either. He just clutched the scroll tightly in his hand and made his way back home, barley noticing where he was walking…

Back in his apartment, Naruto sighed and placed the scroll into one of the drawers below the counter, trying to block it from his thoughts. Instead he went to his bedroom and threw open his cupboard doors. He hadn't been out with his friends in a while, and he was actually looking forward to it.

There were almost no clothes in his cupboard; the majority of them were sprawled al over the floor and the bed, and Naruto remembered that he hadn't done any washing for almost two weeks. He scratched within the piles of clothes that he had already worn, sniffing which smelt the most clean and picking out the ones that were the least wrinkled. Finally he decided on a checked orange shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, white sneakers and a white jacket to complete the look.

'_Good,_' he thought to himself, and then picked up the rest of the clothes and threw them into the wash basket right outside his door, '_That should do it for now.' _

_--_

_Hope you all liked it. :-D Next chapter we check back in with Hinata to see how she's doing...and a brand new mystery ability is experienced. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say, so please: Review, review REVIEW!_


	10. Chapter 10: A glance into the unknown

New Found Attraction

Hello all! Once again, thanks for all of your amazing reviews, I am really glad that I am satisfying your reading pleasure. :-D he he…now then, it's time for my latest chapter…I hope you all enjoy it, I like it quite a bit. Please don't forget to review; I love hearing what you guys think and I don't mind any criticism either…nobody's perfect! Anyway, here we go again…

**Chapter Ten**

A glance into the unknown

"Ha!" Hinata shouted, lunging at Neji with one of her palms outstretched. Neji turned around in surprise, turning his back on the block of wood that had appeared before him, and throwing out his own hands to block his cousin's attack. Hinata rushed forwards, bent as low as she possibly could and lunged at Neji from below, hitting him on the chin from below and sending him flying upwards.

The two of them were sweating profusely, and Hinata had discarded her large purple hoodie and was fighting now only in her black under clothing. He body moved gracefully as she dodged Neji's attacks, and every hit that she aimed seemed to make contact in exactly the right place; Neji was beginning to lose speed, and she had a clear advantage over her opponent.

Neji landed on the ground a few feet away, his body sprawled in an uncomfortable position, and Hinata stood at the ready, waiting for him to move again, but he did not stir. She dropped her guard and clasped her hands before her, making her way over to him and bending over him curiously to see if he was alright.

"Neji?" she said uncertainly, and he moved slightly.

"Are you alright, cousin?" she asked, bending down next to him, concerned, and his legs came flying out of nowhere and knocked her feet out from under her so that she landed flat on her back, her cousin on top of her, a blade to her throat.

"Never let your guard down, Hinata-sama."

"N-Neji-nii-san!" Hinata stammered, but she remained still beneath the sharp blade, "I was worried that I had hurt you! I had to show that I was concerned, I couldn't just let you lie there!"

"Right then, Hinata, I was not your cousin, but your opponent. The enemy. Never let your guard down around the enemy."

Hinata nodded slowly and Neji got off of her, helping her to her feet as she breathed deeply again. She had barely been able to breathe because of fear of being cut, but now that the blade was gone she felt alright again.

"Let's take a break." Neji said, and he headed towards the house where a tray of tea and rice balls had been placed on the porch for them. Hinata followed, and sat alongside her cousin, picking up her tea cup and sipping deeply from it. She was tired, that she could not deny, but she and her cousin had never fought as intensely as today before. Despite her tiredness though, it seemed as if she had a lot more stamina than her cousin did, and she was easily able to match his speed and to mirror his movements even in the most exhausting of moments.

"You've improved dramatically, Hinata-sama," Neji said quietly, and Hinata blushed, looking down into her cup of tea. Being acknowledged by her cousin was a great honour, and she was happy that she was able to get it.

"Thank you, Neji-nii-san," she said just as quietly back, and the two continued to sip their tea in total silence. After the loud and ongoing conversation that Hinata had shared with Naruto earlier that morning, the silence made her feel dreadfully uncomfortable, yet not a sound passed her lips as she waited for her cousin to speak again.

"Where were you all morning, Hinata?" Neji asked after some time and Hinata jumped at the opportunity of some conversation.

"Out running errands," she said simply, then decided to elaborate more, "I met up with Naruto-kun at the park and we spent the morning together. He walked me home when we were done."

"Oh?" Neji said, raising his eyebrows slightly, "Then what was Kiba doing with you outside?"

Hinata's mood dropped slightly as she thought back on what had happened between her and Kiba earlier that day. It seemed that her friendship with Kiba had changed as dramatically in that single moment when he had grabbed her arm, as her relationship had changed with Naruto early that morning. However, Hinata felt that her relationship with Naruto had changed for the better, whereas her and Kiba's had now changed for the worse.

"I don't know…" she muttered helplessly, leaning back onto her hands. She stared out at the sun before her, which was just beginning to set, giving the sky a purple and reddish glow. As she admired the view a strange feeling began to creep up her spine, and her eyes suddenly dropped closed. Neji was also staring out at the sunset, and a loud 'thump' alongside him made him turn to his cousin in surprise.

"Hinata-sama, what are you -?" he stopped when he saw her lying flat on her back, her arms underneath her at a crooked, awkward angle. Her breathing was fast and sweat droplets covered her forehead.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji said awkwardly, and he reached out to touch her arm. Before he could touch her bare skin though, Hinata's eyes snapped opened and she arched her back as she breathed in deeply and her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji shouted, but Hinata was too far away to hear him…

"_It's not your duty to save her!" Kiba shouted, his arms holding Hinata tightly to his chest. They were standing in the middle of a barren landscape, filled with crevices and lamenting trees. The sun was setting, giving the sky a red glow, reminding her all too much of blood. It was raining as well, and it came down thick and heavy upon their heads, mixing with the blood upon their bodies._

"_No," said Naruto, standing a short distance away from Kiba, "It is my duty Kiba, but I'm not doing it out of duty…"_

"_Then what are you doing it out of! You risk everything Naruto, absolutely everything! And for what? Acknowledgement? In order to be the hero? For what, Naruto!"  
_

"_For love," Naruto replied simply, and Hinata felt Kiba's arms tighten around her, "I love that girl that you're holding Kiba, and I'll make you let her go. I love her, and I won't lose her…I love you Hinata…"_

_Hinata suddenly felt Kiba's arms slacken, and before she knew it he had pushed her lightly towards Naruto. She stumbled slightly, her head dizzy, and Naruto caught her, smiling down into her blood stained face._

"_I love you," he whispered, and at that moment a dark shadow appeared behind them, and the sharp blade of a sword pushed its way through Naruto's chest, making him gasp and let go of her. She fell to the floor as she watched the smile in his eyes dim, and become lifeless. _

"_No!" she screamed, crawling towards him, "Naruto-kun! No!"_

"No!" she moaned, as she felt hard hands grab her by her shoulders and shake her lightly, "No! No, no, no, no!"

"Hinata-sama!"

"No!"

"Hinata-sama! Wake up!"

"Neji?" she whispered, her eyes fluttering open. Her cousin knelt beside her, his face overcome with worry and concern. The sun had set behind him, and Hinata could make out the first of the evening stars above his head.

"Neji? What…what happened?"

"You collapsed," he said quickly, holding her head up lightly and bringing a cup of cold water to her mouth, "It seems the training wore you out more than I realized. I apologize, it was my fault; I pushed you too hard."

"No, Neji-nii-san, it wasn't-" but she was cut off as the cup of water was forced to her mouth.

"Drink first, you'll feel better."

Hinata drank, slowly at first, but soon she gulped the water down, realizing how dry her mouth actually was.

"You need to rest Hinata-sama, let me help you up and lead you to your room."

"No Neji, honestly, I'm fine!"

She did feel perfectly alright; she doubted that she had passed out due to tiredness or exhaustion, and instead decided to blame it on the extreme heat of the day. She had simply been dehydrated, but after that cup of water she felt much better. Then her mind thought back on the strange dream…

She swayed lightly, and Neji reached out to hold her steady again, but she pushed his hands away and walked away from the house instead, trying to regain her strength and absorb some fresh air. She walked towards the main gate of the Estate, passing through the beautiful garden which she had helped

plant. She could hear the sound of crickets as they awakened from their slumber and began to make their sweet melody of the night; her younger sister hated the sound, but Hinata felt entranced by it, marveling at the way it all seemed so synchronized. As she came towards the gate, she saw a familiar friend pass by it, and she rushed forwards, calling out to her.

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura paused and turned around at the sound of her name, to see Hinata rushing towards her from the opposite side of their family's large, protective gate.

"Oh, hey Hinata!" she said, moving towards the gate and standing across from it with her hands clasped behind her back and a giant, friendly smile upon her face. Hinata ran towards her, stopping at the gate and clutching the cold bars with her hands.

"Where are you off to, Sakura-san?" Hinata asked, and Sakura laughed silently to herself, "Oh, just out and about," she said, and Hinata looked at her inquisitively.

"I heard a rumour that a bunch of our friends are going out tonight, and I didn't want to miss out on the action!" She winked and Hinata agreed silently with her.

"Who's all heading out?" she asked, hoping to hear that a certain someone was among the crowd.

"Oh, I heard Temari was in town, you know, from the Sand village? Apparently the Hokage told Shikamaru to take her out, so they'll definitely be out…and Choji will probably go along…dunno who else really…oh, yeah, and I heard Naruto invited himself as usual."

Sakura sighed and Hinata's heart leapt at Naruto's name, but Sakura didn't seem to notice anything.

"I don't get along with Temari that well, actually…" she muttered to herself, "It's not going to be enjoyable to go there and have no other proper female company…Hey, Hinata?"

Hinata had been lost in thought about her morning with Naruto once more, and was admiring the necklace around her neck when Sakura said her name.

"Hm?" she said, noticing the mischievous glance in Sakura's eye.

"You want to join us tonight Hinata?" she asked, and Hinata was momentarily caught off guard.

"What, no, I couldn't!"

"Ah, come on, it'll be fun!" Sakura insisted, and Hinata shook her head vigorously.

"No, Sakura-san, I've never been out before, I wouldn't know how to act!"

"Come on, it's no biggie, just stick with me and you'll be fine!" Sakura assured her, and Hinata paused and thought about it for a second. Well, Naruto _would_ be there…

"Oh, all right!" Hinata gave in, and Sakura clasped her hands in delight.

"Great! Now, how about you come with me to my place and we'll find you something to wear, ok?"

Hinata nodded and ran back to the house to grab her things, telling Neji her plans along the way. She had a feeling that tonight was going to make a change…

--

You like? Don't forget to review, review, and review!! Mwa!


	11. Chapter 11: Female Fever

New Found Attraction

_Hello again everybody. :-D Thanks once again for all the reviews, still hoping to get alot more! I dodn't know if all of you have noticed, but I have been updating on a weekly basis, which means I make alot of time available to write and get it to you on time. Therefore I want some reviews!! He he...but it's cool, I'm only kidding, I'm already so so happy with what I am getting. :-D_

_Now then, down to the next chapter! I'm too happy with this one, I fel as if it's more like a filer than anything else, however it s important to future established relationships and plotlines. I know it might not seem like it, but trust me, it will lead up to it!! I had to emphasise on the party prepping of the girls so just bear with me! It is one of the few things I can relate to. :-D Other tha all that please enjoy and let me know what you think! Mwa!_

**Chapter Eleven**

Female Fever

Shikamaru exited his bathroom in a billow of steam, a towel wrapped around his waist. His long brown hair hung at his shoulders, and he ran his fingers through it, trying to untangle some of the more tricky knots. He suddenly realized that his clothes were in his bedroom, and that Temari was still fast asleep within it; he groaned lightly, but reached for the door handle nonetheless. Maybe if he was extremely quiet he could grab his clothes and change without her waking up.

He tiptoed into the room, heading for his clothes drawer which was on the other side of the room, next to the bed. He edged open one of his drawers and removed a pair of boxers and a shirt from it, then opened another and withdrew a pair of pants. He glanced over at Temari who was still fast asleep, and he turned his back on her before dropping his towel and changing into his boxers as quickly as he could.

Temari squinted through her closed eyelids, catching the image of Shikamaru's towel falling lightly from his waist onto the floor. She opened her eyes fully and admired the sight before her, taking note of his rough, athletic body and the dark tan that covered his skin from being exposed to the sun so much. He pulled on his underwear and proceeded to pull on his pants before he turned around and looked Temari right in the eyes. She started slightly, but didn't tear her eyes away from his. He moved in closer, kneeling down at the side of the bed and leaning forward, closer and closer towards her face. They held eye contact, and then he kissed her lightly on the forehead. Temari looked up at him, wanting more, when suddenly she heard something…

"Temari!" Shikamaru shouted, pounding on the bedroom door, and Temari sat bolt upright, waking from a deep sleep, "Temari! Come on, it's time to get moving!"

"I heard you!" Temari shouted back at him, and she threw the bed covers off of herself, stretching her arms above her head. She heard the door open behind her and Shikamaru came in carrying her large traveling bag over his shoulder. He was already fully dressed; his hair was up in the usual untidy manner and he wore a sky blue shirt and black pants with black shoes. Over his other shoulder a black jacket was swung, and Temari couldn't help but get the impression that he wanted nothing more than to blend in.

"Did you have a good nap?" he asked her as she sized him up from where she was sitting and she nodded, shaking her ruffled hair out of her face.

"Yes, thank you," she answered, and stood up, straightening the creases in her clothes, "When did you get dressed?"

"While you were asleep," he said, "I snuck in and grabbed my clothes, but you were so fast asleep that you didn't even twitch."

"Really?" Temari asked, and she thought back on her dream. Was it really a dream?

"Yup," Shikamaru elaborated, "You were snoring like a pig."

"I was not!" she protested, seizing a pillow from the bed and tossing it towards him. He dodged it easily and she grabbed another one and threw it as well, but Shikamaru only ducked beneath it, sending it flying towards the wall.

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked her lazily, "Some ninja you are."

"Humph," Temari muttered, folding her arms over her chest and looking away from him. Shikamaru began to laugh.

"Ha ha, now come on, you better get done, we're meeting everyone in about an hour or so at the Masamune."

"Fine, but we'll finish this later," she said, winking.

"Glad to see you're in a better mood," Shikamaru added as she passed him on her way to the door. She paused in front of him, her energy suddenly diminished.

"Yeah…" she said half-heartedly, and was surprised when she felt his hand upon her shoulder, a sad, stern look upon his face.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, barely looking her in the eye, "You and I are of course close; we're amazingly good friends and there are no other women that I get along with as well as you. I just said it to get Naruto off our backs. I'm sorry."

Temari was at a loss for words. Shikamaru had never, ever, apologized to her, yet here he stood, telling her he was sorry. Her heart refilled with the admiration, love, and lust that she felt for him, and she leaned forward, kissing him on the forehead just as he had done to her in her dream. His eyes widened in shock, and as she drew away she whispered:

"Apology accepted…lazy-ass."

And with that she turned her back on him and entered the bathroom, leaving him standing in the bedroom, his mind in a permanent daze.

--

--

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Sakura said dramatically as she opened the door to her bedroom. Hinata walked in nervously, taking in the sight around her. The room was impeccably neat, Hinata noticed, but it was anything but humble. The walls were plastered with photographs of Sakura with her friends; the cupboard and bedspread were both bright pink and the lamp gave off a reddish, romantic look to the room.

Hinata walked over to the photographs and admired them, spotting Naruto in many of them. There seemed to be a section which was dedicated to Sasuke, but the pictures weren't very good ones; it was obvious that they hadn't been posed for and had perhaps been taken in secret but Sakura herself.

"So, what do you think?" Sakura asked, and Hinata straightened up quickly, not wanting to seem as if she was prying.

"It's lovely Sakura-san," Hinata said and Sakura smiled.

"Ah, but this isn't the best part…" she said mischievously, and she strode over to her cupboard and threw both doors open, "This is the highlight of my room!"

Hinata gasped. Every inch of Sakura's cupboard was lined with colourful, beautiful clothes; from shirts to dresses to skirts and shoes, Sakura had almost everything one could dream of.

"I figured that you didn't really have anything to wear out tonight; I've only ever seen you in your ninja gear or your extremely casual clothes, so I thought we'd find you something nice in here."

"T-Thank you!" Hinata said, almost at a loss for words. No one had ever been this considerate towards her before, and she felt herself warming up to Sakura even more as the minutes passed.

"Well, let's see then…"

Sakura scratched in her cupboard, throwing out items that she thought would work nicely for Hinata. They discovered, however, that Hinata had more curves than Sakura; her pants barely fit her while all her tops were too small for Hinata's larger chest. They spent almost an hour going through different outfits when Sakura finally found something spectacular.

"Ah-ha!" she shouted, diving into the back of the cupboard and bringing out a hanger with a white dress hanging from it, "This should be perfect! Try it on Hinata!"

Hinata pulled the dress over her head, and was surprised to find that it fit her perfectly. The dress had a low-cut, v-shaped neck which accentuated her cleavage only slightly. It sat tight upon her stomach and waist, but flared out a little as it reached her hips. The material was soft and flowing, and the dress stopped just above her knee, and she could move freely within it. The material creased naturally as it furled out, and Hinata felt extremely comfortable in it. She ran to a mirror and admired her reflection; the white dress suited her nicely, and etched into the material on the right hand side, just before the dress began to furl out was a tiny black heart.

"Oh, I was right!" Sakura exclaimed, admiring Hinata from the back, "I've never worn that dress, it's much too big for me, and I never will fit into it, so it's yours if you want it, alright Hinata?"

"What!" Hinata said in surprise, spinning around to face her friend, "Sakura, I could never take your clothes!"

"Hinata, I'm giving them to you!" Sakura said, and Hinata blushed and settled back into silence with a quiet 'thank you'.

"You're welcome," Sakura said, and she turned back to her cupboard, "Now, I think I might have an old pair of white sandals that you could squeeze into…you can have those too, and then we'll have to do something with your hair…"

Hinata smiled to herself as she watched Sakura bury herself into her busy cupboard once more, and she admired herself in the mirror once again. What would Naruto say when he saw her in this?

--

--

Temari opened the bedroom door at eight 'o clock on the dot, and made her way out to the living room where Shikamaru was waiting for her. He had a book open on his lap, and seemed rather immersed in it when she entered the room. She cleared her throat slightly and Shikamaru glanced up hurriedly, but then stopped and turned his attention back to her, staring in spite of himself.

Temari had sexy, form hugging, black pants on along with flat, comfortable black shoes. She wore a shocking red halter-neck top which had a slit from the bottom up, stopping halfway, and it exposed her stomach nicely. She wore red lipstick to match her outfit, and had let her hair lie loose upon her shoulders, which Shikamaru had never seen before. Her hair curled out slightly at the sides, which gave her a very elegant look, and his heart rate quickened as he looked her up and down, taking in as much detail as he could.

"Ready to go?" she asked, and Shikamaru nodded his head slowly in reply, but then opened his mouth to speak.

"You look…wow…you look…"

"Yes?" Temari asked, encouraging him to compliment her.

"You look…different." Shikamaru finally finished and Temari's face fell at the remark.

"Different?" she asked, her temper beginning to rise, "I only look different?"

"Well, yeah, you do," Shikamaru said matter-of-factly.

Temari turned her back on him in a huff and stalked towards the door.

"Come on Nara, we're going to be late."

Shikamaru stood up and followed her to the door. Once they were outside and he had turned to lock the door, Temari said quickly:

"You know Shikamaru, for someone who's considered a genius, you are really, really stupid!"

Shikamaru turned around to face her; he was ready to receive a blow that he was sure would come, but only saw an empty hallway and heard the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs.

"Damn that woman!" he said to himself, locking his door as quickly as he could and running after her. But when he reached the busy street outside she was nowhere to be seen.

--

--

_Press the pretty button...please press the pretty button..._


	12. Chapter 12: Party at the Masamune

New Found Attraction

Hey everyone, I'm back with a new chapter! Yay! I received a review asking whether a fight would break out between Naruto and Kiba…

_Well, Kiba is of course very cautious of getting into a serious fight with Naruto because he is aware that Naruto would most probably beat him. Much later in the story, however, he begins to feel that he has a chance of winning and then there is a possibility of a fight breaking out. _

_Lets just say that the two do end up in a fight, but not in a way you'd all expect. He he…_

_Now then, I enjoyed writing this chapter because it is another angle that I can relate to; I just hope that I've done the characters justice, so please let me know what you think. :-) _

_If anyone would ike to know ayhting else you're welcome to E-mail me or just leave a review and I will reply to it. :-)_

_Well, it's party time!_

**Chapter Twelve**

Party at the Masamune

Naruto sat himself down at the long counter in the middle of the room, waving at the bar lady who was standing on the other end, chatting to another customer.

"What can I do you for honey?" she asked as she made her way over to him, swaying her large hips as she walked.

"Just make it a soda and lime," Naruto asked, and her face fell in disappointment. The Masamune was an under-aged club, and the majority of the youth in Konoha hung out there at night. It was a nice place; the walls were lined with couches and booths where people could order food during the day or night or just hang out with their friends. On the right hand side of the room, amidst the many booths, was a large dance floor and a DJ booth right next to the entrance, which could be flipped and turned into a make-shift stage for special occasions. The bar stretched from the middle of the room towards the other end, and small tables and stools were packed on the one end, with pool tables on the other end. It sold alcohol, of course, but Naruto wasn't very big on drinking and neither were most of his friends, so the bar wasn't too popular amongst the youth.

The bar lady placed the drink down before Naruto, who fished into his pocket for the money and took a sip of his drink. It was still early; the place only had a few other people occupying the booths or the bar area, and Naruto watched some of them with glee. Here and there he spotted a familiar face, and he greeted them hurriedly as they made their way in or out of the doorway. The dance floor was empty for this early in the evening, and Naruto sighed, wondering when Shikamaru and Temari would arrive.

After about half an hour, Naruto saw another familiar face enter through the doorway; Choji edged his way through the doorway and made his way immediately towards Naruto, who greeted him with a large grin.

"Yo, Choji!" he called, and the two of them grasped hands before Choji took a seat next to him. The bar lady came over expectantly, and was happy when he made a large order of barbeque for himself.

"Hey Naruto, how are you doing?" he finally asked.

"Great and yourself, pal?"

"Ah, same as always," Choji said, sighing slightly, "I've got my own troubles…"

"What troubles could you possibly have?' Naruto asked, taking another sip at his drink and considering whether he should order another.

"No troubles that are worth discussing tonight. The reason I'm out here tonight is in order to forget those troubles."

"Man, something must be eating at you then…or is it the other way around?" Naruto asked, as Choji's food arrived and he began to gulp it down as quickly as he could. It seemed as though Choji didn't hear him though, and Naruto sighed and turned back to the door. Another half an hour passed, in which time Choji had ordered another platter of food and he and Naruto had engaged in conversation about how quiet the village had been lately.

"I'm becoming bored," Choji admitted, "I have nothing to work up my appetite anymore…food doesn't taste as good without missions."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "And I've become bored of training by myself as well…I'm in some real need of some action!"

"I swear, the next person who gets a mission…I'll steal it right from under their noses!" Choji exclaimed, grabbing a piece of meat too enthusiastically and causing it to slip out of his grasp. Naruto looked away guiltily; little did Choji know that Naruto already had a mission to occupy him.

As Choji dived after his precious piece of meat, Naruto stole another glance at the doorway, through which Shikamaru ran in an apparent huff.

"Naruto!" he said in relief as he caught sight of him.

"Hey Shikamaru, where's Temari?"

"That's a very good question!" he shouted, throwing his hands into the air, "I lost track of her as we were leaving the apartment and now I can't find her anywhere! You haven't happened to see her, have you?"

"Nope," Naruto said, as Choji reemerged from behind the counter.

"Choji!" Shikamaru yelled desperately, "Have you seen Temari anywhere?"

"I thought she was supposed to be with you?" he asked.

"She was but…oh never mind! Have you seen her or not?"

"Well, I saw her about forty-five minutes ago on my way here. I passed her at the hospital, I'm not sure where's she's gone from there."

"Thank you Choji!" Shikamaru shouted and he dashed out of the doorway again, almost knocking Sakura off her feet as she tried to enter.

"Watch it Shikamaru!" she shouted after him, and he ran off shouting a quick 'sorry' in her direction.

"Sheesh, what's his problem?" Sakura asked Hinata, who shrugged her shoulders helplessly and stood at the side of the entrance in shadow.

"Well, aren't you coming in?" Sakura asked her, and Hinata nodded slowly.

"I will in a bit…" she said, and Sakura shrugged her shoulders and entered, saying over her shoulder:

"If you're not inside in five minutes I'm going to come and drag you in!"

Hinata took a deep breath, smoothing the creases out of her dress as she stood outside the doorway, listening to the music which blared inside.

"Sakura-chan!" she heard a familiar voice shout, and her heart began to beat ten times faster. Naruto was inside…what would she do? Her breathing came out heavier and heavier, and eventually she gritted her teeth, telling herself to act natural and not to be such a coward. She took a deep breath and stepped through the doorway, into the building.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" Naruto called as the pink-haired ninja walked through the doorway, "You're here!"

"Hey Naruto," Sakura said, and she gave her friend a huge hug as he ran up to her, "Of course I'm here silly! I'd never miss out on a party!"

"He he, that sounds like the Sakura I know!" Naruto said happily, as the DJ changed the song into an upbeat tune meant for the dance floor.

"Ne! Ne, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, returning to his old self for a split second, "Want to go dance with me?"

"Naruto, I've just arrived! Can't you give me a second to-?"

"Please! Come on Sakura, we haven't been out for ages! Isn't this your favourite song?"

"Well," Sakura said thoughtfully before breaking out into a huge smile, "Yeah, it is, come on!"

She grabbed Naruto by the arm and dragged him to the dance floor where the two of them began to move to the beat of the song. Naruto's back was turned to the doorway when Hinata entered, and the first one to recognize her was Choji.

"Hinata!" he said, surprised, and Hinata made her way over to him shyly, her eyes darting around, searching for Naruto.

"What are you doing out here Hinata? I never thought this was really your scene," Choji asked curiously.

"W-Well, Sakura invited me out with her…" Hinata mumbled, "Where is Sakura?"

"Out on the dance floor with Naruto," Choji answered simply, jerking his thumb towards the two which had now become the centre of attention. Sakura swayed her hips seductively, and her arms rose into the air loosely as she pressed herself against Naruto. Naruto's hands hovered around her hips, but he was too cautious of Sakura's temper to actually hold her. His feet moved appropriately to the beat and he was laughing at the wolf whistles the two of them were receiving.

Hinata sat and watched, transfixed. She had never had the courage to dance in front of people before, and she marveled at the way that Sakura and Naruto were able to do it without worrying about what others thought of them. She watched them happily as Choji took the liberty of ordering her a drink. As it was placed alongside her she looked up at Choji, taken aback.

"On me," he said, winking, and Hinata smiled, "You look really beautiful tonight, you know? You deserve at least one guy to buy you a drink, even if he is just your friend."

"Thank you, Choji…" she muttered, and delicately took a sip of the drink he had purchased her. It tasted sweet and sour at the same time, and she took a larger sip, draining almost half of the glass.

"Whoa! I wouldn't drink that too fast if I were you…there is some alcohol in there, even if only a little."

Hinata blushed and put the drink down again, not wanting to seem too inexperienced at what she was doing. Her eyes wondered over to Naruto and Sakura again, who were still dancing in much the same manner. She heard a sigh behind her and turned to find Shikamaru sitting alongside her, his face buried in his hands.

"Shikamaru?" she asked attentively, and he groaned lightly in her direction, "What's wrong?"

"Sheeshgon," Hinata heard him mutter, and she asked nervously:

"What was that?"

Shikamaru lifted his head up to reveal a distraught, nervous face, and Hinata recoiled slightly.

"She's gone," she heard him say more clearly, "I've lost her and the Hokage is going to have my head for it."

"Who's gone?" Hinata asked daringly, and Shikamaru shook his head.

"Temari; I think I must've upset her or something cause she just disappeared and now I can't find her. I've looked everywhere…"

"I'm sure she'll turn up Shikamaru; she knows the village really well already, I'm sure she won't stay away too long."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," he said, and he took a sip of Hinata's drink without really noticing.

"You couldn't have upset her that badly, could you?" she asked him, and Shikamaru shook his head again.

"I don't know what I did! There she was, standing in front of me looking so drop-dead gorgeous, and my mind just stiffened up. I couldn't think, I couldn't talk…I could barely breathe…next thing I knew she turned her back on me and ran off. I'm sure I didn't say anything to hurt her...I barely said _anything_…"

Hinata sat deep in thought, contemplating the situation that Shikamaru had just told her. If Naruto were to see her the way she looked right now and he said nothing, she was certain she would also be rather hurt. Perhaps this was the problem that Shikamaru was unable to figure out.

"Shikamaru," Hinata said quietly, and he leant towards her in order to hear, "Maybe the problem is that you didn't say anything. If there's one thing I've learnt from Sakura in the past hour, it's that girls love to be complimented. Maybe Temari was looking for one, and you didn't realize it."

Shikamaru's face seemed to light up as realization hit him.

"That…that sounds just about right!" he exclaimed, "That would explain everything! And, if I could just find her, I know how to fix this! Thank you Hinata!" he exclaimed, and he stood up abruptly, rushing out of the building once more. Hinata watched him leave, a confused expression on her face. Had she just offered advice on how to mend a relationship? She wasn't the best person to ask for advice in that field, and yet, there she was…

"Hinata-chan?" she heard behind her, and she froze, too scared to look around, "Is that really you, Hinata?"

She swiveled her seat around to face Naruto, who was busy devouring her appearance with his eyes. His eyes strayed over her body from top to bottom, lingering here and there, and Hinata felt her cheeks burn red hot beneath the make-up Sakura had applied to her skin.

"H-Hello, Naruto-kun…" she said quietly, and a silence fell between the two as they stared at each other, their eyes locked. The silence was broken a few seconds later by Sakura, who appeared at Naruto's side with a drink in her hand.

"Doesn't Hinata look pretty, Naruto?" she asked him, linking her arm with Naruto's and smiling at Hinata happily. She was pink faced from the dancing and took a rather large sip from her drink to cool herself down. Hinata's heart rate quickened as she waited for Naruto to answer. Would she receive a compliment from Naruto…or would she be disappointed like Temari was? She looked over at him expectantly, and her heart pained as she saw him shake his head.

"No, Sakura," he said, "She doesn't look pretty," Sakura's jaw fell and her face filled with anger as Hinata's eyes began to grow wet.

"Naruto! You need to learn how to treat-"

But Sakura was cut off as Naruto exclaimed breathlessly: "She looks down-right beautiful."

Hinata caught her breath and Sakura stopped herself from landing a punch, grinning in approval. She righted herself, winking at Hinata from the corner of her eye and turning towards Naruto again.

"And what do you think of me tonight, Naruto?" she asked shyly, tucking her hands behind her back as she often did when younger. It was clear that she was looking for Naruto's approval, but he only had eyes for Hinata and barely even noticed Sakura speaking.

"You really do look gorgeous Hinata-chan," Naruto said, his eyes glued to her face. Hinata couldn't help herself. Her heart filled with happiness, and a big silly grin spread over her face; the happiness seemed to bubble up stronger and stronger until it finally burst and she flung herself forwards, wrapping her arms around Naruto's neck with glee. Naruto caught her, hugging her tight and spinning her around.

Sakura sprang out of their way and stalked over to Choji, placing herself down next to him with her arms folded.

"It's about time he noticed her," Choji said between bites and Sakura agreed with him. However, she couldn't help but feel a strange tingling at the bottom of her stomach as she watched Naruto spin the happy girl around the room.

Hinata felt as if she was in heaven, and Naruto held on so tightly to her, as if he was afraid he would lose her if he let go. Her loose, flowing hair swung around with them as Sakura and Choji eyed them from the bar. Choji sighed and went back to stirring his drink, thinking back on his own problems in the romance department, while Sakura wrestled with the new feelings erupting within her heart. Her memories drifted back into the past and she suddenly felt sad, despite the happy scene before her.

Hinata finally felt her feet touch the ground again as Naruto placed her down. She was red in the face from happiness, and her head was dizzy, and she was thankful to still be in Naruto's arms. A slow, magical song began to play, and Naruto smiled down at her.

"You want to dance Hinata?" he asked her shyly, and Hinata nodded, allowing him to lead her towards the dance floor, her embarrassment suddenly gone, almost as if it had been whisked out of her by the spinning.

--

Hope you all liked it, so please drop a review or two for me to let me know what you think. 

_Nix_


	13. Chapter 13: Confession in the storm

New Found Attraction

_Hello again all! Wow, what a hectic week, and still I managed to find time to squeeze in some writing! Well, I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, this on e takes us back to Shikamaru and his frantic hunt for his troublesome woman…_

_Thanks to those of you who reviewed. I don't mean to be selfish but I was hoping for more with that last chapter…I really liked it!! And from those who reviewed it seemed they did too! glares at readers who did not review_

_Oh well, guess you can't have everything in life! Now, on with the show!_

**Chapter Thirteen**

Confession in the storm

"Temari!"

"Have you seen a girl with blonde hair, wearing a red shirt and carrying a large fan perhaps?"

"No, sorry…"

"Temari!"

Shikamaru searched the town frantically from top to bottom; he searched in alleyways, peeked through windows, climbed the roofs and the walls of the village, but still he could see no sign of her anywhere. He began to ask passers-by when he became even more frantic, but none of them seem to have noticed a girl of Temari's description.

After about an hour and a half of searching a light drizzle began pouring down upon the heads of the villagers. Shikamaru squinted his eyes in order to see through the fuzziness of the night, cursing lightly under his breath.

"That troublesome woman!" he said to himself, taking shelter beneath the wide brim of a store's roof, "Why does she always have to be so stubborn! She knows this will be causing me trouble! She's just being spiteful…"

He moved out into the rain again and ran to a nearby tree whose thick, dense branches provided proper shelter from the shower. Shikamaru took his jacket off and twisted the water out of it in order to keep his body dry. His muttering hadn't ceased however.

"She should know that I'd worry about her. I'm not entirely hopeless or that carefree. She knows I'd worry about her!"

He paused suddenly, leaning his back against the tree and sliding down it, resting his head in his hands.

'_Does she know that I would worry about her?_ _Does she know that I care for her?' _he asked himself, his mind racing, '_Does she even care for me? She must care for me…else she would never have said those things…done those things…'_

Shikamaru's mind played and replayed all the instances in which Temari had flirted with him. Every seductive move, every sexy smile came back to him and he felt his stomach flip just thinking about it.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, punching his fist against the tree.

'_Why did I have to fall for her?' _he asked himself again and again scratching his head distractedly, '_Why? She has no interest in me…I'm so much younger than her for one thing. She only flirts with me because she sees it as sport…she'd never be interested in me…she's mocking me, that's all...'_

Even as Shikamaru thought this a feeling at the pit of his stomach told him that it was not true. He knew there was something underneath the insults and the sarcasm that he shared with Temari. Perhaps, somewhere deep down she did care for him. Of all the ninja in the village Shikamaru was the one who knew Temari the best; everyone saw her as an interesting person with a nasty temper on her, but Shikamaru had seen more sides of Temari than anyone else ever would.

He had heard her cry, had seen her smile, had felt her mouth against his ear, whispering words that only he could hear…he had felt her lips upon his skin…she was passionate and caring and ambitious…

Shikamaru sighed again but sat up straighter almost immediately as a crack of thunder enveloped the village. A bolt of lighting followed soon after, and it was then that Shikamaru noticed something amiss on the roof of the store he had come from.

On the roof of the nearest building a strange fuzziness occupied a certain spot. The rain had begun to pour down harder, and as Shikamaru looked closer he noticed the rain drops bouncing off of a seemingly-invisible object on the roof of the building.

He immediately tensed; someone was hiding up there…was it an assassin? Was it a wandering ninja by any chance? Shikamaru drew a kunai from his pouch and cautiously made his way to the side of the building, where a ladder leading up to the rooftop was situated. He took a deep breath, assessing the situation. Should he contact the Hokage? No, that would be unnecessary…what if it turned out to be a false alarm? No, he should just handle it himself and call for back up if necessary.

He began to climb the ladder silently, straining his ears in order to hear something above the rain, but it was impossible. The heavy rain hit the metal plates on the roofs with force, causing an immense noise to build up around him and making it very difficult to hear anything else. He saw this as a slight advantage to himself though, for the ninja on the rooftop wouldn't be able hear him either…however, the rain made the metal of the ladder very slippery, and more than once his foot slipped and he would grope helplessly for a handhold, preventing himself from falling.

The third time his foot slipped he plummeted forwards and hit his chin on the uppermost bar of the ladder causing him to bite his tongue and let out a gasp of pain.

The person on the roof's senses stirred; a sound had come from behind and the figure turned around, trying to see what had caused it. After scanning the rooftop and seeing nothing the figure turned back to the street below, but its senses remained acute nonetheless.

Shikamaru cursed silently under his breath, sticking his tongue out to absorb the cool air to relieve the pain. He lifted his head up slightly, and his eyesight immediately locked onto the slightly translucent figure. Shikamaru would never have noticed it if it hadn't been raining, and he grinned to himself at the ignorance of the figure; did it honestly think that its presence was completely concealed in a village full of highly skilled ninja?

Shikamaru lifted the arm holding the kunai to eye level, aiming for the water tank situated right behind the figure. He took aim and threw it, as hard as he could. As the kunai soared towards the tank Shikamaru threw himself over the top of the ladder as quickly and quietly as possible. As soon as the kunai hit the tank a resounding 'boom' filled the air and the figure looked around quickly, startled by the noise. Shikamaru's feet were muffled by the loud noise that penetrated the air as he landed on the wet surface of the roof. He immediately crouched down, performed the correct hand signal and proceeded to stretch his shadow towards the invisible figure.

The moonlight was coming down strongly upon them through the intense rain, and Shikamaru could just make out a slight shadow towards the right hand side of the figure.

"Shadow Bind no jutsu!" he said under his breath, and a slight tugging at his feet indicated that he had caught his prey. Shikamaru sighed and stood up, hearing a slight gasp from the figure he had ensnared in his trap.

"Jutsu complete," he said matter of factly, and then crossed his arms over his chest. Even though it was invisible Shikamaru could tell that the figure was doing the same.

You know," he continued, trying to determine the identity of the person by their shadow, "It's rude to disguise yourself and to spy on people this time of night."

The figure remained quiet, and Shikamaru was able to gather from the shadow that he was interrogating a woman.

"What could a lady such as yourself possibly be doing out alone at this time of night…and spying on the village nonetheless!"

Shikamaru knew that the woman was unable to answer him; his shadow bind had her entire body ensnared and she was unable to move an inch on her own. Shikamaru withdrew his shadow lightly, causing her body to be trapped, but allowing her head to move freely. His breathing came out heavier from the strain of keeping his shadow at a limited usage; it was always easier to use it fully or else not at all; he didn't like doing it half-heartedly.

"Alright," he sighed, "I've allowed you the use of your mouth. Now tell me how to make you dispel your technique."

The figure still remained quiet, and Shikamaru groaned in annoyance. He put his hand up to his temple and massaged it lightly. He knew that the figure wouldn't surrender that easily, but he didn't have time to hang around here…he needed to find Temari!

"Look, he said, I don't think you understand…I need you to tell me which hand seals to form in order for me to dispel your technique so that I can see you."

Still the figure remained quiet, and Shikamaru decided on taking a new approach.

"Fine," he said, and he took a step backward. The invisible figure did the same, moving dangerously close to the edge, "Tell me which hand signs to form," he repeated, but still the figure remained quiet, however, he was certain he heard fast breathing coming from her. Shikamaru took another step backwards, allowing the girl to be poised on the edge. One more step and she would fall.

"Tell me," he said, and after no reply he sighed, "Alright then."

He lifted his right foot, placing it behind him but allowing it to hang in the air. He felt the figure begin to fall back slightly, and he forced all of his will power into keeping a firm grip on her with his shadow. Suddenly he heard a loud voice say with as much calm as it could muster:

"A fall from this height would not kill me."

Shikamaru was startled by the familiarity of the voice, and he immediately stepped forward again, saving the woman from the fall. He still held her in place with his technique however, as he said uncertainly:

"Temari? Is that you?"

The girl remained silent, which gave him his answer.

"Temari? But…but when…"

He was cut off, however, as Temari told him the hand signs.

"Tiger. Just tiger."

Shikamaru formed the appropriate hand sign, and the translucent form before him began to shimmer slightly as Temari was brought back into view. Her clothes were soaked, her hair was matted and her mascara was smudged, but he didn't care. She stood there looking down at her feet as Shikamaru dispelled his technique, his shadow sliding across the rooftop back towards him. The two stood entirely still, Shikamaru staring at Temari with disbelieving eyes, and Temari looking down ashamedly at her feet. Shikamaru finally broke the silence.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" he burst out, and Temari turned her face away at his harsh tone, "Everywhere! And you've been sitting up her, _invisible _mind you,_ watching_ me search the entire village after your sorry ass!"

Temari didn't remain silent much longer after that and she snapped back at him, still keeping her eyes downcast.

"So what? It's about time you did something bloody productive Nara! You didn't have to look for me; I'm perfectly capable of handling myself!"

"The Hokage would have had my head_, my head,_ Temari if anything had happened to you! This village isn't always safe, and you never know what could happen! I'm in charge of taking care of you, and the Hokage would have killed me!"

"So it's only for the Hokage!" Temari screamt and Shikamaru stepped back in surprise. Tears were spilling from her eyes now, mixing with the rain that was pouring down. She dropped down onto one knee, allowing the tears to flow freely.

Temari's thoughts were in a whirlwind; the way Shikamaru had spoken to Naruto about the Hokage's orders; the way he took no interest in her appearance even after she had gone to so much trouble; the fact that he was telling her now that the only reason he was worried about her was because of the Hokage's wrath. She considered all of this, and it landed a heavy blow upon her heart. The love she was convinced she felt for him was now nothing more than an infatuation…a one-sided infatuation for it was clear he felt nothing for her in return.

She had spent the night sitting on the rooftop, disguising herself from curious eyes with her newly developed technique, and had watched Shikamaru run in and out of the Masamune, searching frantically for her. She had considered why he was doing this; he was much too lazy and unconcerned with life around him to purely search for her out of his own will, and now she was hearing the reason. It was orders that drove Shikamaru, and nothing more.

Throughout the years they had spent together it had always been on a mission, or under orders from the Hokage or her brother, Gaara…never had they taken the time to do anything out of the boundaries of orders. Temari choked back the tears that were now flowing freely, trying to gather her thoughts and emotions, but the emotional strain she had been feeling since that afternoon was pushing down upon her, and she needed to know…she needed to put her heart at rest in order to move forward.

Shikamaru stood there watching the strongest girl he had ever known cry her heart out. He was used to woman crying; his mother did it every time he came home from a mission alive; he'd watched Sakura cry her eyes out before him and his team before they had left to retrieve Sasuke. He was not unfamiliar with the highly emotional state of girls; however, seeing the strong-willed, sarcastic, confident girl before him crying just didn't make sense to Shikamaru.

Why did it feel like the closer Shikamaru got to Temari the further he pushed her away? He was no genius in terms of romance nor was he intellectual about the female mindset, and this made things increasingly difficult for him to spend time with girls. The reason he liked Temari so much was because of the fact that he was able to be himself with her; he didn't have to worry about what he did or what he said because Temari didn't seem to care that he was a guy, and she didn't care if he called her names; she just called him something worse and they went on with their lives. However, since the moment Temari had stepped through that gate that morning things seemed to have changed. The sexual tension that had always been present between the two of them seemed to have increased; Shikamaru knew that he had spent long months brooding over Temari, but had she done the same? The unspoken words between them were driving him crazy with uncertainty and longing, and because of this it seemed that the relationship they shared was suffering.

But why on earth would Temari carry on in this manner? Shikamaru decided that something much deeper was at work here, and he gritted his teeth trying to figure out what it could be. The silence was broken every now and then by the few sniffles and sobs which came from Temari's direction. Finally, however, she spoke:

"Shikamaru…" she muttered, taking a rattling breath and raising her head to look at him. Her body shook from cold and emotional stress, but her voice remained steady nonetheless as she confronted him with the question she had been dying to ask for the past few years.

"Do you love me?"

Shikamaru looked back into Temari's pleading eyes, his mind working at top speed, then coming to a complete standstill as he uttered the only thing he could think of in reply…

_Sorry to leave all of you hanging, but I thought it was about time I did so. He he he…hopefully I'll get some reviews because of it! So, as usual, press the pretty button below an tell me what you think!_


	14. Chapter 14: Just friends

New Found Attraction

_Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! It's time to see what Shikamaru says to Temari and what his answer will be…then we'll be stepping back to Naruto and Hinata to see how they're doing. ;-D_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter Fourteen**

Just friends

"Temari I…I…"

Temari looked at Shikamaru expectantly, waiting for the answer to the hardest question she'd ever had to ask. She watched as he fidgeted nervously with his sleeve, his eyes darting around the area, looking for an escape from the uncomfortable situation he now found himself in.

Shikamaru's mind raced. Why was she asking him this? The relationship that they shared had always been purely friendly, despite the occasional bruising. However, underneath everything the two shared Shikamaru knew there was something more…they weren't just friends. Shikamaru was attracted to the girl before him; even when she was rained wet and her make-up was smudged he couldn't help but feel attraction to the soul beneath it all. There was no one like her in his life, and he knew that he would do anything for her if she asked him to; as long as they weren't too troublesome…

However, despite the feelings he knew he had, Shikamaru couldn't bring himself to admit them. Their relationship was being damaged by something, this he knew, and he was sure it was because of his affections for this girl. The fact that he wanted more than just friendship was ruining their chances of having a friendship at all, and there was no way he was going to make things even more awkward between them by admitting he felt something for her. She was trying to worm him into a corner; she wanted him to say how he felt so that she could let him know she didn't feel the same way and that they could just remain friends…but he knew that things would never be the same again. He valued Temari's friendship immensely, and he was not willing to risk losing it. So, logically he said what was right. Logically, he said what would save the friendship. Logically, he ruined all chances of anything developing between him and the girl he loved most in the world…

"Temari I…don't."

Temari's eyes filled with tears once more, but she held them back, shutting her eyes closed tightly. When she opened them again the rain had changed back into a light drizzle, and the clouds far in the distance had begun to disperse. Soon the rain stopped entirely and the clouds above them opened up slightly, causing a sliver of moonlight to fall upon the two, throwing their faces into clearer view. For a second, only a brief second, Temari caught a glimpse of Shikamaru's pained expression and the glint of sorrow in his eyes. She gasped slightly as her heart beat in protest at his words, but she kept her composure nonetheless, and through all the heartache…she smiled.

"I don't love you in that way Temari," Shikamaru continued, "But I love you as a friend. To me you are an extremely precious friend Temari."

Temari's smile grew wider, and she wiped the tears away that were building in her eyes as Shikamaru spoke. She finally let out a shaky breath and straightened up. Shikamaru watched her get up off the ground and dust herself off lightly. She then made her way towards him, slowly at first but soon she ran towards him, falling into his arms in a hug. Shikamaru caught her in surprise, but held onto her nonetheless. Temari took in the feel of his warm body against hers, and she breathed him in for what she was sure would be the last time. They said nothing to each other, but in that moment a world of understanding rushed between them. Temari straightened up once more, her smile wide again and the mischievous glint back in her eye.

"I love you too Shikamaru, but you make it very difficult," she said, causing him to look at her in shock, "As a friend you're not doing a great job. You should at least compliment me when you and I both know I look good."

Shikamaru blushed slightly since the distance between them was not great, and Temari was right up in his face as she posed sexily for him.

"Well…" she muttered, looking down at her sodden clothes, "I might not look too great right now, but…"

"You look beautiful anytime of the day Temari."

She looked up at Shikamaru, who couldn't seem to believe that the words had escaped his mouth. He looked shocked with himself then shrugged and said slyly, "There's no point in me complimenting you Temari. If I did I'd be doing it all day…and that would be a drag."

Temari couldn't help herself. She burst into laughter despite herself and clamped her hand over her mouth in surprise. That was one of the first times she'd really laughed all day, and a sudden realization hit her along with it. She stared at Shikamaru, who had a large grin plastered over his face at her laughter, and her heart beat slowed, and her breath came out easier…perhaps this was the problem.

Temari had been so bent on making sure that Shikamaru noticed her affections for him that she no longer had fun with him anymore. Every sentence was thought out in advance, every smile and wink was practiced…she hadn't seen him for months and because he had been on her mind constantly in that time she had lost her spontaneity towards life. Perhaps this was the reason she had been feeling so different and been acting so out of character. She was so obsessed with discovering whether Shikamaru loved her or not that she had become tense and insecure in his presence…she was the reason that their friendship had been feeling (as Shikamaru would say) troublesome…

As Temari came to this realization she figured that just being Shikamaru's friend again wouldn't be so bad after all…

--

--

"Naruto-kuuuuuuuuuuun!" Hinata squealed as he picked her up by her hips, holding her up so that his face was level with her stomach, and spun her around with him as fast as he could. Some other couples jumped out of their way, the men scowling at them and the woman glancing over with admiration. Naruto placed Hinata back down on her feet again as the song ended, and she fell against him, laughing hysterically. He laughed along with her, and then tugged her back off to the bar as another song started up.

It was now eleven 'o clock; Naruto, Hinata, Choji and Sakura had been dancing, talking and laughing together for the past two and a half hours, and Hinata was having the time of her life. Hinata's apprehension that she had felt earlier in the evening had completely disappeared; she had been on the dance floor with Naruto the majority of the night, and when she wasn't there she was immersed in conversation with Choji or Sakura, catching up on the latest happenings in the village.

The first time she and Naruto found themselves on the dance floor Hinata had still been giddy from the compliments and the spinning she had received from Naruto, but as soon as she stood between all those people and the music began to play she froze up. Hinata was always very shy among large crowds, and doing something as public as dancing scared her. Naruto noticed that she was nervous, and he simply smiled at her, telling her to relax.

"It's okay Hinata," he had said, "Just follow me, okay?"

Hinata nodded, and allowed him to place her arms around his neck. She kept a considerable distance from him, but he shook his head lightly, placing his hand on the small of her back. Shivers ran up and down her spine and Hinata felt her cheeks redden at his touch. Naruto leaned forward slightly in order to speak to her.

"Hinata-chan?" he whispered in her ear, "You'll need to move closer."

With that said he pulled her towards him, causing her blush to deepen as she felt his warm body against her skin. Naruto's expression remained unreadable as he took her right arm from around his neck and slid his hand across it, clasping her hand in is. His other hand remained firmly on her back and Hinata swallowed slightly, her heart racing. The feeling of being in Naruto's arms was unbearable; every time she found herself within them a beast rose within her chest which wanted to escape as quickly as possible. When she was younger this feeling had erupted within her by just seeing Naruto, and it had often been followed by her fainting. As she grew with age, however, it became easier to control the surge of emotions she felt for him, and the fainting had decreased considerably. Experiencing his touch, however, was a completely different and unexpected delicacy, and she wondered whether she would be able to maintain consciousness.

"Okay Hinata-chan," he said quietly, and her heart felt like leaping out of her chest in order to hear him, "You'll need to calm down…"

"But…but Naruto-kun…"

"Shhh…I told you, it'll be okay."

Suddenly she felt a calming warmth spread throughout her body, and her head dropped lightly onto his shoulder as he swayed with her to the beat. Her eyes focused on their hands and she realized that Naruto was running a light stream of chakra from himself into her in order to calm her down. She smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling up unconsciously to his body as they swayed to the beat, their feet moving in no particular direction. The chakra took away all of Hinata's anxiety, and soon she began to enjoy the calming sensation. Imagining Naruto's chakra running through her body caused her to blush once more, but she remained where she was for the duration of the song and was very upset when it ended.

"Thank you Naruto-kun," Hinata said happily, as she drew away from him. Naruto grinned happily as another song began to play, and he held onto Hinata's arm as she tried to move away.

"You still want to dance?" he asked her, and Hinata felt herself hesitating once more. The beat that was playing was upbeat and much faster than the previous song. She watched the people around them who were no longer holding onto one another but were instead dancing separately, shaking their hips and doing various movements with their arms and legs. Hinata might have felt a bit more confident about being on the dance floor, but she was not nearly confident enough to dance in the manner portrayed around her.

"U-um…" she muttered, pressing the tips of her fingertips together in her customary fashion, "I-I think I'd like to dance a bit later again…"

Naruto nodded and grasped her hand in his, pulling her off the dance floor back in the direction of Choji and Sakura. Choji was sitting stirring his drink idly, speaking under his breath to Sakura who was nodding her head with a stern expression on her face. As Naruto and Hinata drew closer they caught a bit of what they were saying.

"-thought it wouldn't matter anymore after all these years…"

Choji kept quiet as the two friends approached, and Sakura grinned widely at them, trying to hide the fact that she and Choji were in the midst of an important and private conversation. Hinata sat down next to Sakura, and reached for the drink she had abandoned earlier. She took a small sip as Naruto placed himself down next to Choji, and suddenly Hinata felt a strange prickling at the back of her neck. She looked over quickly at Sakura whose eyes darted away from her the instant she met them, and fell onto Naruto instead. Hinata eyed Sakura carefully; she had been certain that Sakura had almost glared at her for a split second, but soon passed it off as her imagination when she fell into conversation with her.

"So Hinata, are you enjoying yourself?" she asked, re-crossing her legs and smiling sweetly at her. Hinata nodded shyly in response and readjusted the top of her dress.

"Yes, Sakura-san, and thank you again for the dress," Hinata muttered, but Sakura simply waved her hand casually, stating that it was no big deal. Naruto and Choji were engrossed in conversation once again about the lack of activity in the village, and Sakura took this opportunity to lean forward and ask quietly:

"You really like Naruto, don't you Hinata?"

Hinata reddened and gasped in surprise at Sakura's question, but Sakura already knew the answer and didn't press on.

"We've all known about your little infatuation with Naruto for years now Hinata; Naruto's the only one daft enough not to have noticed. However, it seems as if he's noticed you now…what have you done to ensnare him?"

Hinata shook her head innocently, looking over at Naruto sweetly. He noticed her look and smiled over Choji's shoulder at her, and Hinata quickly looked down again.

"I don't know Sakura-san…we've been growing closer for ages now, but it was only today when we really…"

Hinata trailed off searching for the right word while Sakura waited patiently.

"Connected," she finished off, staring down at her sandaled toes in embarrassment. It felt strange to tell someone about this information that was so very important to her, but she felt she had somehow grown closer to Sakura as well that evening and knew that she could trust her. She was Naruto's long time teammate and friend after all.

Sakura smiled and nodded, saying quietly:

"I'm happy for you Hinata. I hope things work out between you and Naruto; he needs someone who will understand him, support him and love him with her whole heart…I could never do those things for him…"

Hinata started and looked up at Sakura, who was looking over at Naruto with a look of admiration. She then turned back to Hinata and continued.

"I admire Naruto so much Hinata, but I've never been able to understand what is going on in his head. I've also never been the best support system because of my temper and impatience…I'd also never be able to love him with my whole heart either because…well…"

An image of the younger Sasuke flashed through Hinata's mind and she immediately understood; even though Sasuke had disappeared almost four years ago Sakura had never given up on him…and because of that he still held a special place in her heart. She still loved him, and she was afraid to move on…just in case there was any hope of finding him and rekindling their friendship.

"Look Hinata," Sakura said seriously, moving closer and lowering her voice, "The point is: Naruto is my friend. I care deeply for him and I don't want to see him hurt. I know you love him, but I need you to do more than just that. I want you to be strong for him when he is unable to be strong for himself. I need you to take care of him. There's only so much I can do as his friend…"

She paused and looked over at him again, and Hinata saw that same look of admiration, and almost longing in her eyes as before.

"Hinata," Sakura said solemnly, "If I had it my way I'd want to be the girl on Naruto's arm right now, but I can't. No matter how much I want to I can't be the perfect girl for him. It wouldn't be fair to him if I was. But you Hinata; you can be that perfect girl. I need you to be the perfect girl for him. Love him, adore him and keep him safe. Please!"

Hinata didn't know how to respond to Sakura; she was asking so much of her, but she knew that she wouldn't hesitate to say yes. She did love Naruto and she had supported him all of these years already…and to be loved by him! The idea filled Hinata with such joy that it was impossible for her to sit still. To be Naruto's one and only! She nodded her head curtly in Sakura's direction, the one girl's eyes never leaving the others, and Sakura's tense face relaxed into a smile at the Hyuuga girls nod.

"Thank you Hinata," she whispered, and with that she got up, hugged Hinata quickly and proceeded to drag Naruto away from the conversation with Choji and back onto the dance floor. Hinata sat watching them once more, a small bubble of confusion and a large bubble of joy residing in her chest.

Sakura and Naruto were the highlight of the dance floor once more; Sakura wasn't shy to show off her well-toned, sexy ninja body and Naruto was at least confident that he could move on the dance floor. The two of them made a good pair, and Hinata felt a little guilty about her apprehension while watching them.

"_I need you to be the perfect girl for him…" _

Sakura's words revolved around Hinata's thoughts, prying at her certainty. Could she be that perfect girl for Naruto? Would she really be able to do a better job than Sakura? Sakura knew Naruto better than everyone else in the village; she had been his teammate for the past five years and she had been his confidant, friend and inspiration as well. Sakura was suited to be with Naruto, but she had told her herself that it was impossible. Could Hinata really be better than Sakura?

Hinata watched the two dancing and her confidence she had been feeling earlier began to wither. They suited each other so well actually…they could dance together, they knew each others secrets…they both shared the same ambition and were both seeking the same thing…

Hinata sighed and pulled her eyes away from Sakura who was pressing her body against Naruto and sliding down sexily. He smiled down at her and winked and Hinata's heart pained at the sudden recognition of the girl. Hinata could never be as daring or as sexy as Sakura…all these thought led her to wonder…were the two of them really just friends?

Soon the song ended and Naruto headed back off the dance floor towards Hinata, holding out his hand for another dance. Hinata shook her head lightly as he approached and his face fell in disappointment. Sakura soon dragged him back onto the dance floor where they continued to move to the beat, Hinata watching them carefully. She silently activated her Byakugan, watching the dancers intensely, trying to see what to do at which time. When the song ended again Naruto came over expectantly once more, and Hinata accepted his hand this time.

As she and Naruto made their way back to the dance floor Hinata took a few deep breaths in order to calm herself down. She didn't want to rely on Naruto's chakra anymore; she wanted to be able to do it all by herself and have fun while doing it again. Nothing felt as good as being in Naruto's arms, and she wanted him to feel as happy with her as she did with him. She would do it!

Naruto was feeling slightly nervous himself. Even though he knew he was able to dance it still felt thrilling and scary at the same time to be dancing with Hinata. Slow dancing was no problem; it was easy swaying mindlessly to the beat, but dancing to a fast pace with a girl he knew was shy of large crowds and too much attention was another story. He was able to dance naturally with Sakura without a second thought; they had been doing it for almost a year now after all. Sakura was the first girl that Naruto had experienced dancing with, and she had made sure to teach him well; therefore he felt comfortable on the dance floor with her, and apprehensive with others. He wanted to impress Hinata though, but he didn't want to scare her into anything too drastic either, so he decided on just having fun.

As he and Hinata reached the dance floor a very well-known and popular song began to play and Naruto ginned happily.

"I really like this song!" he shouted over the noise and Hinata nodded in agreement. Before they knew it the two of them were shuffling their feet to the beat. Naruto glanced at Hinata and was shocked at how well she had already adapted. She moved her feet to the beat, shook her hips and bent her knees on the appropriate moments and generally seemed to be having fun. The only awkward point however were her arms; it seemed as if she was still a bit unsure of what to do with them, and Naruto decided to help her out a bit. He moved close to her like they had done before and whispered in her ear again:

"Hey Hinata, put your arms around my neck like before…"

Hinata did as she was told and soon she felt much more comfortable. The beat didn't allow for her to dance with him as slowly as before though, and she was now confused at what to do. Naruto told her exactly what he was planning though.

"This time," he whispered, "We're going to need to be a bit further apart. Just follow me. What you were doing was perfect; just do it while holding onto my neck. Just have fun and let loose, ok?"

Hinata nodded and Naruto drew away slightly, causing them to have enough distance to move but they were still close enough to be dancing together. Naruto placed his hands on Hinata's hips and he felt his hands tingle slightly. The one time that he had held Sakura there she had slapped him, telling him to never touch her there again. Naruto had listened to her and never dared try it again, but with Hinata it felt alright. She was curvier than Sakura and much more comfortable to hold. He noticed how her cheeks reddened at his touch and he smiled to himself; he wondered whether she knew that she was having the same effect on him?

Naruto began to move his feet and sway his body to the beat of the song, and Hinata followed, moving her hips from side to side beneath his hands. Her cheeks were burning red hot but she didn't care; it felt so nice to be held like this by the man she loved most in the world, and her embarrassment was slowly fading as he stared into her eyes, willing her that she was doing fine.

Soon Hinata was dancing like a regular; her feet never lost count, her hips never swayed out of beat, and soon she had confidence to lift her arms from Naruto's neck and raise them attractively into the air. She knew that if her father or her cousin ever saw this behaviour she would be given a harsh talking to, and maybe even a beating. Thankfully she knew she would never find them in a place like this.

As they neared the end of the song Hinata had grown entirely confident about dancing on her own, but dancing passionately with Naruto still made her feel at unease. Every time he moved closer to her she moved away, but at the end of the song she was unable to escape. Naruto rushed forward, grabbed her one hand and pulled her towards him. She gasped as he placed his hand on the bridge of her back and dipped her backwards. Hinata's natural flexibility kicked in and she dipped as far back as she could, her long, raven hair brushing the floor before Naruto pulled her up again. As he brought her up she stood facing him, inches away from his mouth, their eyes locked. His eyes trailed down to her lips once more then sprang back up to her eyes, smiling guiltily. Then he spoke:

"You know what Hinata-chan?" he asked and Hinata smiled shyly, heat emanating from her reddened cheeks.

"I think I like you. I think I like you a lot."

--

_He he so you like it? If so, please leave a review for me and make me veeeeeeery happy! So press the pretty button below and make my day!_

_Nix_


	15. Chapter 15: The enemy shows weakness

Hello everyone! I'm back. Sorry for the delay in the chapter, work and studying has been hectic lately. Sigh…Oh well, now it's time to break away from Naruto and the gang for a bit and se what's happening on the other end of the Fire Country…

**Chapter Fifteen**

The enemy shows weakness

A sliver of light filtered through a crack in the ceiling, landing directly on the eyes of the sleeping man. He winced slightly, rolling over and resuming his sleep, a dream lingering on the edge of his thoughts.

"_You've…always hated me, haven't you?" a girl with short, strawberry hair said, a tear sliding down her cheek. He remained quiet, his back turned towards her as she cried openly, not afraid to show him her grief. Suddenly she took a step forward, crying in angst:_

"_Are you going to choose to be alone again? You taught me that solitude is painful! I understand that so well right now… I have family and friends but without you…it will be the same as being alone…"_

_He said a few words which were inaudible to him, and the tears the girl was shedding increased at his words._

"_I love you so much!" she shouted in desperation, taking further steps forward, "So please! Please, stay with me!"_

_She stopped, trying to hold back her tears, trying to regain control. Then she muttered:_

"_If you can't stay…then take me with you…"_

His eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, his heart clenching in pain. He let out a gasp and clutched his chest, trying to keep quiet, but it was no use. Soon his head began to pound as several images rushed through his mind, and he let out a scream of agony. He heard his chamber door open and he struggled against the firm hands that were gripping him. No, he didn't want it, not again! He wanted to remember!

"Orochimaru-sama, it's starting again!"

"Hold him down…" a cold, superior voice said and the man gasped towards it, his eyes still shut tightly from the pain.

"Orochimaru! Please, stop! Stop it!" he screamed, but still the hands held him down firmly as another presence entered the room.

"Ah Kabuto…do it."

"No! No! STOP!" the man screamed, but he felt the lethal hands rest upon his head and chest as the formidable jutsu was performed.

"Mind Heart Avoidance no jutsu!"

The man fell silent, slumping back onto his bed, his eyelids fluttering and his mouth lolling.

"Oroch...imaru…" he whispered before passing out. The figures let go of their hold on him and Kabuto straightened up, wiping his brow.

"Get some rest my sweet Sasuke," Orochimaru crooned, allowing a disgusted look to occupy Kabuto's face for a moment before discarding it to its usual unemotional appearance. He followed his master out of the room and shut the door behind him, locking it and placing the key back into his pocket. He and Orochimaru made their way down the hall side by side.

"It pains me greatly to see him so, Kabuto…" Orochimaru muttered, and Kabuto stole a glance at his master's expression, seeing a large grin across his face. Kabuto sighed and looked ahead again. Things were still the same.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama…" he said half heartedly, and a second later he was up against the wall, the snake-tamers hand to his throat, a look of fury in his eyes.

"Kabuto…" he hissed, "Is it possible that you are showing no interest in our dear Sasuke? He is the secret to our future success. Without him I will have nothing more to live for. Without him I will not be able to live any longer! Is that what you want? Do you want to see your master die? Tell me the truth Kabuto!"

Kabuto thought quickly, his gaze not leaving the eyes of his master. He said nothing and eventually Orochimaru slackened his grip, allowing Kabuto to place his feet on the floor once more. Kabuto regained his calm exterior and cleared his throat, rushing forward in order to catch up with Orochimaru.

"It is not that I express no interest Orochimaru-sama…" he muttered, and the snake tamer glanced at him, his face expressionless and difficult to read, "It is only that I have doubts about our plan."

"I value your opinion most highly Kabuto, my most loyal servant, but I find it difficult to believe that you can have doubts at this crucial point in our plan."

Orochimaru continued to stare forward, his pace never slowing, and Kabuto struggled to keep up with his pace. He could tell that he was excited, but Kabuto couldn't help but express his doubts.

"Orochimaru-sama!" he exclaimed, causing his master to stop and look back at him, "I do not believe that the plan will run as smoothly as you make it out to be! What is the possibility of all these villages responding simply because of an empty threat?"

"Ah," Orochimaru muttered, digging within his kimono and extracting a scroll with Tsunade's symbol upon it, "But that is where you are wrong Kabuto…it will no longer remain an empty threat…"

Kabuto stared at the scroll and narrowed his eyes.

"What has happened Orochimaru-sama?" he asked and the snake tamer grinned, chuckling slightly.

"Let's not discuss it here Kabuto…follow me."

Orochimaru began to walk again, leading the way, and Kabuto followed close behind, watching his master nervously. He knew that his master was frustrated; he had needed to do something crucial and necessary to the success of his plan, but he understood that this one point of the plan was what frustrated him the most. He would have to wait another three years for Sasuke before he could take him as his own body again…

As the two of them walked Orochimaru opened the scroll, rolling it out and reading the contents to Kabuto:

_Lord Tsibiki,_

_I am afraid that I find your request to be out of the question; there is no possibility of us putting the future generations of Konoha into jeopardy. If you wish to find sparring for your own entertainment I suggest that you attend the Chuunin exams which are held twice annually, however, it is not acceptable for us to allow something of this nature. _

_You may be confident in your power but Konoha will not take part in an event which is organized through blackmail. Should you wish to pose a threat to our village, as well as the other hidden villages around the globe I assure you that you will fall short on victory. I shall expect a reply from you within the week stating your further purpose with our village. I think that you do not deserve the title of Lord if you expect us to yield to such ridiculous commands. Excuse my rudeness but I felt it was right to be frank with you. It would not surprise me if you receive similar replies from the other villages._

_Sincerely_

_The Fifth Hokage_

Orochimaru chuckled again, rolling the scroll back up and placing it into the side pouch of his kimono once more.

"That damn Tsunade always had a way with words…" he said, chuckling a few seconds longer before becoming quiet and dropping back into his serious tone of voice.

"She was right though…" he muttered, returning to the dark and foul mood that Kabuto was used to, "The other villages are less than willing. And the messenger we sent to each one never returned. It is obvious that they kept the poor men back for questioning. Normally this wouldn't concern me, but in Konoha's case…"

Orochimaru trailed off as he slipped into thought and Kabuto took the liberty of completing the sentence for his master.

"Konoha is already suspicious of our movements, and they are especially cautious of us after the last attack. The fact that we now have possession of Sasuke-kun is not helping the situation either."

"Yes…" Orochimaru muttered, "If they are able to find out that the ninja we sent was in fact a sound ninja they will immediately be suspicious."

Kabuto nodded, glad that his master had finally realized the danger in his plan; he could not understand why his master had suddenly become so sloppy in his planning. Usually he was a perfectionist up to the tiniest detail when it involved an aspect of planning, and Kabuto couldn't help but think that Orochimaru was being ignorant on purpose. As his master turned to him and smiled evilly his thoughts were confirmed.

"No matter," he muttered, "I have prepared something of interest which cannot allow the villages to refuse…their survival will depend on it."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes once more.

"You've been hiding something from me," he said matter-of-factly, and Orochimaru nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid so Kabuto, but I found it necessary. You would not approve of it up until the last moment. You see, it involves Hikari…"

Kabuto froze. Orochimaru eyed him slyly, watching for the reaction he knew those words would have, but it never came. Instead, Kabuto sighed and his shoulders slumped as he said in an unreadable tone:

"It's come to that time, hasn't it?" he asked, and Orochimaru nodded again.

"I'd hoped to keep her safe a bit longer," Kabuto muttered and Orochimaru kept his eyes glued to his face, watching for any sign whatsoever of weakness. Kabuto, however, remained unemotional in his speech and facial expression, and Orochimaru turned back in the direction that they were moving, satisfied.

"Kabuto, meet in the western wing of the containment chamber, after you have completed Sasuke's afternoon teaching…I have something to show you…"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said as his master walked away, his face remaining blank. As his master rounded the corner however, Kabuto's face broke into a mixture of emotions. He slowly dropped to his knees, placing his hands in front of him, his breathing coming out in sharp gasps and his face suddenly plastered in sweat. His glasses slid down his nose and dropped to the ground, but Kabuto made no move to pick them up. Instead he knelt there, his mind racing more than it ever had since that last encounter…

_Two years earlier_

"_Sasuke-kun!" he shouted calmly back at the boy before him, who was flying hastily through the branches of the surrounding trees. He pointedly ignored Kabuto, who sighed and picked up his own pace, drawing level with the boy._

"_Sasuke-kun," he said again, "It is unwise of you to rush in front of me; we should stick together in order to avoid-"_

"_Shut up Kabuto," the fourteen year old snapped, and Kabuto felt a slight tinge of anger begin to surface._

"_I may be at your service Sasuke-kun, but that does not mean that you can treat me with disrespect. When I tell you to remain at my side you will do so or else-"_

"_Shut UP Kabuto!" he interjected once more and Kabuto was just about to hit the young boy aside when he realized something. Sasuke's face was pulled tight with the strain of trying to hear something, and Kabuto fell silent at last, wondering what the young boy was sensing._

"_I'm trying to listen," Sasuke said and Kabuto nodded in understanding, falling back slightly, allowing his apprentice to put his new skills to use._

_They were traveling through one of the more dense regions of the rice country, taking their usual route back to the base after an afternoon of training in the fields. Sasuke was often tired after one of these sessions and struggled to pay much attention to his senses in the beginning, but after a year of strenuous training he was becoming more accustomed to the harsh training methods and his skills had steadily been improving._

_Kabuto followed the boy a while longer, and soon he saw him extract a two knives from his kimono and throw it towards an area in the brush beside them._

"_There!" he shouted, and a second later a girlish cry accompanied by a moan and a 'thump' came from the area which he had aimed for. Kabuto and Sasuke dropped to the ground and stepped forward cautiously to apprehend the person who had been spying on them. A small sniffling came from the brush, indicating that the person had been hit and was not coping well with the pain._

"_Show yourself!" Sasuke commanded, immediately taking authority over the situation and Kabuto once again felt that tinge of anger well up within him. Not wanting to seem second best he raised his voice as well, but said in a much calmer, more controlled voice:_

"_Come out here to us before we come in there to you. I promise you that we will show no mercy if you continue to disobey us."_

_The sniffling sound that had been heard ceased at his voice, and soon the brush began to rustle as a small girl in a tattered white dress stepped through the undergrowth towards them. She had long, flowing silvery hair which fell in curves below her shoulders and she had bright blue eyes which were filled with tears. She seemed familiar to Kabuto, and he was unable to place where he knew her from until she spoke:_

"_Onii-chan?" she whimpered slightly, her hand clutching the knife which was embedded in her shoulder and Kabuto felt his head shatter with realization._

"_Hikari!" he exclaimed, and he rushed forward, pulling her into an embrace as the small girl burst into tears._

"_Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" she cried, crying into his chest as he held her tightly. He heard a sound behind him, and he turned to find Sasuke watching them with a raised eyebrow. _

_Kabuto immediately released the girl, stepping away from her as she cried and reached out to him. He and Sasuke stared at each other; a pleading was in Kabuto's eyes whereas indifference lay in Sasuke's. Eventually Sasuke turned away, folding his arms and sighing._

"_Alright Kabuto; I'll keep this act of weakness a secret from Orochimaru-sama, but then you must do something for me in return…you can start by explaining to me what is going on here."_

"Hikari…" Kabuto muttered back in the base, slamming his fist against the floor, the tears that he had held back for years threatening to come, "Not my beloved sister…"

_Note: At this stage Kabuto is 21 and Hikari is 12._

_And don't forget to review!_


	16. Chapter 16: A step into the past

_Hello again all, thak you so much for the positive response for my last chapter! Whoo Hoo! You all make me very happy to know that you are enjoying it and that my story is found to be captivating by so many readers! Thanks for all the new readers who have had their say, I hope that you will continue to enjoy the story as it progresses further. Now then, it's time to see what makes Kabuto tick..._

**Chapter Sixteen**

A step into the past

"Onii-chan!" the five-year old Hikari cried as she spotted her older brother coming up the path towards their home. Kabuto smiled back at her and raised his arm in greeting.

It was sunset, and Hikari had been waiting on the wall outside their home for the past two hours, her eyes fixed on the corner that she knew her brother would turn on his way back from his mission. She had begun to grow more and more anxious as the minutes passed by, and she wondered whether her brother was still safe.

"_No!"_ she had thought to herself, "_Of course he's safe! He's Onii-chan after all!"_

To the little girl her older brother was her hero; he was strong and smart, and was one of the few men in the ninja village who was able to perform medical ninjutsu. It was mostly the female ninja's who became interested in the medical side of the ninja world, but Kabuto had an obvious skill for it and was able to hone it into his own style of healing as well as fighting.

Hikari leapt down from the wall, landing clumsily on her feet and rushing towards her brother who was still walking at a comfortable pace.

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" she called again, and in her haste her foot caught on a rock and she toppled over, scraping her knee upon the hard ground. She cried out in pain and the tears of joy she had been feeling earlier now turned into tears of pain. She shut her eyes and cried out openly, her heart beating ten times faster at the emotional strain.

Suddenly she felt a set of strong arms surround her and a calming sensation spread through her knee. She opened her eyes in surprise to see her brother holding her tight, his attention focused on her knee. She blinked away the tears and looked down as well, taking note of the tickling sensation as the skin healed itself and the blood dried away. When Kabuto was done she looked up at him again and he smiled down at her, giving her a gentle squeeze before letting go of her.

"T-Thank you Onii-chan…" she muttered, stumbling back to her feet and placing her forefinger into her mouth out of habit and embarrassment.

"Hikari..." Kabuto muttered, and she followed him with her eyes as he straightened up, the light enhancing his features and deepening the smile upon his face.

"I hate to hear you cry Hikari. And I hate it when you get hurt. Will you promise your Onii-chan something?"

The little girl nodded, stepping towards her older brother and wrapping one arm around his thigh, her finger still in her mouth.

"Promise me that I won't have to watch you cry again? It hurts me so…You were not meant to cry Hikari. You were meant to smile and shine as your name commands. Promise to always smile for your Onii-chan?"

Hikari nodded once more and pulled her finger from her mouth, looking up at her brother and grinning widely, the remains of the tears gone.

"I promise Onii-chan!" she exclaimed and hugged his leg tightly before grabbing his hand and leading him back towards the house.

"Welcome home!" she shouted and the fourteen year old boy laughed, his heart filled to the brim with admiration for his adorable little sister.

---

---

Kabuto made his way hurriedly through the corridors of the lair, taking the fastest possible route to his sister's quarters.

"Left, right, left, left, right…" he muttered to himself as he ran, finally reaching the large wooden door and knocking abruptly. He knew it was two in the morning, but he hoped his sister would be awake after all the commotion. He was relieved when he heard a small voice answer.

"Who is it?" he heard her say and he cleared his throat.

"It's me Hikari-chan…" he whispered, and he heard the locks inside being turned at a fast pace, and as the door flung open a small girl fell into his arms, her face buried once more into his chest.

"Onii-chan!" she whispered, clutching onto his clothing in desperation, "Please help me Onii-chan…"

Kabuto took the fourteen year old by her shoulders and held her at arms length, examining her face. She had a high fever and her breathing was shallow, and as Kabuto's eyes wondered over her features something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

As he focused on the mark he let out a gasp and pulled Hikari back into his embrace, his face a mask of anger and despair.

"Orochimaru-sama…" he muttered, his eyes never leaving the cursed seal upon the girl's neck, "What have you done?"

"Onii-chan…I feel strange…" Hikari muttered, and with that she became limp in his arms, her eyes shut tight as a strange aura began to spread from her body outwards.

"Hikari!" Kabuto exclaimed, picking the girl up and carrying her back into the room, laying her down on the bed. She twitched slightly and the aura around her increased, sucking the oxygen from the air and causing Kabuto to step back against his will.

"I suggest you leave her that way, Kabuto…" a voice said behind him, and he turned to find Orochimaru standing against the door frame, a look of amusement on his face, "This room is not safe at the moment…"

"Orochimaru!" Kabuto shouted, stepping towards him, his features distorted by anger, "What did you do to her? Why have you given her the cursed seal? You promised me!"

"Silence Kabuto," Orochimaru commanded, turning his back on his servant and walking away, "I told you to meet me after Sasuke's training…then I will explain all to you."

"I want an explanation now!" Kabuto exclaimed, stepping forward, and he saw his master halt, his neck sunken into his shoulders as he became wrought with anger.

"Kabuto…" he said again, turning around and facing him with a deathly glare which caused him to take a step back to his previous position, but the aura behind him prevented it. He turned his face towards the small girl on the bed who was shaking and jerking as a purplish haze surrounded her. He wanted to step forward and hold her, but he could not. Fear of the cursed seal and fear of showing even more weakness to his master, kept him rooted to the spot. He was certain that the deadly aura that surrounded his sister could not interfere with his brotherly love for the girl, but fear of losing his pride did.

Kabuto turned his face away in pain to face his master once more; with one more look from the snake tamer he walked towards him, shutting the door as he went.

"You cannot tell me that this is unexpected my dear Kabuto…" Orochimaru muttered as he's favourite follower walked away, "You must know that the second I discovered the girls power I would need to make use of it. And I need to be able to control it. The only way that I can have that power is in order to mark her with the _suppressed _cursed seal."

Kabuto stopped, turning around quickly with a tinge of hope in his eyes.

"Then…do you mean?"

"Yes, she does not possess the true cursed seal. The seal I have branded her with will have a certain effect on her, and her transformation at the activation of the seal will be of her own will and form. I cannot give her the power I have given Sasuke-kun…her soul is too pure for that."

Kabuto looked down at his feet, a small smile on his face. Yes, his sister was the purest thing on earth…there was no way she would be able to handle anything as wicked as the cursed seal.

"However…" Kabuto heard, and he looked up quickly, "I do need to have a certain degree of power over her actions along with her mind…Kabuto, I need you to give her the same treatment as Sasuke-kun…"

Kabuto's eyes widened in shock.

"You want me to make her forget me?" he said in fear, and Orochimaru smiled, but shook his head to Kabuto's relief.

"No Kabuto, I need you to make her loyal to me and my commands. She must feel nothing for anyone else…she will only have feelings of loyalty, trust and love towards me. You see Kabuto, I have grown rather fond of the girl…I wish to keep her at my side…always."

Kabuto's heart beat seized. His eyes widened even more in shock. His limbs became numb and his mind shifted into over-drive. A series of pictures flashed through his mind, all of them involving his sister and Orochimaru. They were all scenes that he did not like.

"Kabuto, you will give me your answer," Orochimaru stated as Kabuto remained rooted to the spot, "I shall give you some time to consider it…however I do not expect you to disappoint me."

Orochimaru turned his back on him and walked away once more, and for the second time that day Kabuto considered sinking to the floor and willing it to open up and swallow him.

Instead he turned his back on his sister's room and ran.

----

----

He was rushing through the forest, one of his teammates before him and the other behind. There was a frightening pressure within the air that was pressing down upon them, and Kabuto kept pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his eyes darting around fearfully.

Suddenly, a long glittering sword pushed its way through the branches alongside them and it pierced the boy who was leading the procession.

"What the-" he exclaimed and soon cried out in severe pain as the sword went right through his chest, exiting through his left shoulder. He fell away from the sword as it was pulled out and he plummeted towards the earth.

"Kotaru!" the girl behind him shouted and she immediately rushed down to try and catch him. The extended sword, however, made its way towards her instead, and Kabuto rushed forward, pulling her out of harms way just in time.

The sword which appeared to have no one to wield it retreated back into the bushes and a loud thump below them indicated that Kotaru had hit the ground.

"Why did you stop me!" the girl shouted at Kabuto and he let go of her wrist as she wrenched it from his hand, "I could've caught him!"

"And that sword would have pierced you along with him!" Kabuto stated, agitated by her lack of sense.

"I could've dodged it," she said simply and rushed down towards the boy who was lying on the ground in an awkward position. As she rushed down to the ground Kabuto kept his senses alert, listening for the slightest indication of where their enemy could be. The threat seemed to have retreated for now, but how long would it stay away? And how was such a large sword able to be controlled so precisely, for it was obvious the wielder was a fair distance away.

"Kabuto!" he heard below him, and his senses snapped back to the scene below him, "Hurry up Kabuto! You need to heal him!"

Kabuto sighed and made his way down slowly, annoying the girl below him.

"This isn't a joke Kabuto! Kotaru is seriously hurt and you're just taking your time! It's your job to heal him!"

"It wouldn't hurt for you to ask nicely Alyssa," Kabuto said as he dropped down alongside his teammates.

"Why should I?" the sixteen year old stated, as she dropped her face back down to Kotaru in admiration, "You don't deserve my appreciation or acknowledgment _outsider."_

That last word stung Kabuto and he knelt down to examine Kotaru's injuries reluctantly, tempted to slap the girl before him aside.

'I've been on this team for four years now Alyssa, and not once have you considered me a friend."

"Nope," she said, not caring about his feelings at all. Kabuto's heart clouded with darkness and he glared at the girl. She didn't notice at all, for her eyes were focused on Kabuto's hands as he tried to heal Kotaru.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed suddenly and Kabuto stared back down at the boy he was healing and quickly drew his hands away. The boy was bleeding worse than before, and a steady trickle of blood was escaping from his mouth and nose. Kabuto stared down at his hands and realized that he was indeed doing the opposite to what he had intended. Instead of healing the boy he was busy damaging his internal organs even more.

"Kabuto you idiot!" the girl shouted at him as he backed away, "You did that on purpose! You tried to kill him!"

"No," Kabuto muttered, shaking his head as the girl rounded on him, drawing a kunai from her pouch as she did so.

"You did! You pathetic piece of shit!" she shouted, and she rushed forward, and he quickly crawled out of her range.

"Alyssa!" he shouted as she rushed towards him once more, "I'm sorry I didn't realize what I was doing! We don't have time to be fighting right now, we have to save him!"

"You think I'm going to let you near him again?" she shouted and lunged at him once more, "You think you're so high and mighty, but you have never been a friend of ours! We always suspected that you'd do this…I was right to never have trusted you! And to think Kotaru was willing to give you a chance! We should never have trusted an outsider!"

That last word stung Kabuto once more and he rushed forward this time, his hand aglow with his green damaging chakra, and he struck her leg, causing the muscles to rip and making her fall to the ground. She cried out in pain but Kabuto didn't care. He rushed in again and tapped her arm this time, causing her to drop the knife.

"I'm as much a ninja as you are," Kabuto said, walking slowly towards the whimpering girl, "I'm better than you Alyssa, even if I was not born and raised in the leaf village I am a more skilled ninja than you."

"Kabuto…" she whispered as he stood over her, a look of fury in his eyes, "I…"

Suddenly her eyes widened in shock and Kabuto felt a rush of air pass his ear as a sword sailed past him and the struck the girl through the throat. She spluttered as blood filled her mouth and she soon became motionless as her eyes glazed over. Kabuto froze at the sight before him, but soon his curiosity forced him to turn around slowly and face his enemy. He stared up at a man with slick black hair and snakelike eyes, a sword protruding from his mouth.

---

Hope you all enjoyed it! As always, please press the bretty button below! mwa


	17. Chapter 17: The enemy's inside plan

_Hello again everybody!_

_I need to inform all of you that I will be going on holiday from the 27__th__ of November till the 8__th__ of December, so I unfortunately won't be able to write or update for the next two weeks. :-( I know, I know! You are all welcome to hate me, however, I am going to make it up to you in advance!_

_Instead of posting one chapter this time round I'm posting two! Yup, I'm a dork, I do sometimes write a bit in advance…he he he…_

_Now, we have one more chapter about Sasuke and Kabuto, and my second installment goes back to the gang in Konoha. Please enjoy!_

_But, and there is sometimes a but, I have been writing exams on this end and I put in special time to write this extra chapter for all of you, so in return I expect a large bundle of reviews! Pretty please!_

_Now, shall we hop to it? And, as always, don't forget to push the pretty button!_

_Love Nix_

**Chapter Seventeen**

The enemy's inside plan

Kabuto did not pride himself on his bravery. He was a loyal servant to Orochimaru, but he knew when the right time was to flee and when the right time was to remain fighting. Even when he first met Orochimaru he admitted that he was scared. He had considered running away and facing the same fate as his friends had, but his feet didn't want to move no matter how much he asked them to. Orochimaru had smiled down at him, the sword finally swallowed once more.

"Do you seek power Kabuto?" he had asked, and Kabuto shook his head, staring back at his two teammates which he had had a hand in killing.

"I seek recognition," he said quietly, and he fell to his knees as sickness overcame him. He had just helped kill the only two people that were close enough to be his friends. Orochimaru watched him with a small smile on his face.

'You have power already I see," he said, as Kabuto looked up at him with pleading eyes, wiping vomit from his mouth, "You're unique abilities would come in handy to me. Join me young one and I will train you and help you earn the recognition you deserve."

"No!" Kabuto said, standing up and backing away; the villain's face finally finding a place in his memory, "I know who you are! You're Orochimaru! One of the legendary Sannin who has been exiled from the village! You committed some of the worst crimes in ninja history!"

"Ku ku ku…" Orochimaru laughed, "It seems my reputation is well known to even the youth of the village. However Kabuto, you are not much different from me now. You've murdered your teammates and therefore cannot return to the village as of yet."

"But, but I didn't mean…" Kabuto started, but Orochimaru's glare silenced him. He was right. There was no way he could return now. He became a missing nin the second he decided he wanted Alyssa dead. He straightened up and brought himself to his full height, staring the snake-tamer in the eye.

"Allow me to become your servant, Orochimaru-sama. I swear to protect you with my life."

He bowed low to the man, and at sixteen years old he joined forces with one of the most feared ninja's in the world.

At this moment, however, Kabuto did not feel as if he had gained any recognition. It was true that he was Orochimaru's favourite servant and that he was allowed a lot more privileges than others. He was actually given a choice in most matters. He could choose whether he wanted the cursed seal or not; he could choose which bodies would best serve his masters needs. He was Orochimaru's advisor in many ways, but lately he had become old news. Sasuke-kun was climbing up the ladder of the master's recognition, and no one was given more special treatment than Sasuke. This allowed him to develop a false sense of importance, which made him very difficult for Kabuto to control. However, there were times that he and Sasuke considered each other friends.

"Once more Sasuke!" Kabuto shouted as Sasuke panted heavily, his hands resting on his knees, "Your concentration is weak today!"

"Oh, shut up Kabuto!" Sasuke shouted back at him, "You're not in control of me!"

"Perhaps not Sasuke, but it is my duty to ensure you are ready to face whatever dangers you can…do you not want to avenge your family?"

Kabuto knew he had hit the spot. Sasuke's face contorted with anger and he rushed forwards once more, his sword glowing with electricity from his highly developed Chidori technique. Kabuto fell back into his fighting stance, his palms aglow with chakra as the boy rushed towards him. He was attacking widely, and Kabuto shook his head slightly. Sasuke's fighting skill had begun to degenerate; Kabuto suspected that it was because of his treatment. His memory and his ability to learn were fading the more Kabuto used the formidable mind jutsu upon him. Kabuto had warned Orochimaru about this, but his master was so intent on making Sasuke loyal to him that thoughts of weakness seemed impossible to him.

Sasuke lunged with his sword, and Kabuto dodged him easily, placing a hand on his thigh, making him fall over his feet and land face first in the ground. Kabuto sighed.

"This will not do," he stated, crouching before Sasuke as he looked up at him ashamedly. "As long as we carry on with the treatment you are receiving you will not last a minute against highly experienced ninja."

"Have you spoken to Orochimaru?" Sasuke said quietly, lifting himself up and sitting before Kabuto with his legs crossed. He winced slightly and Kabuto reached forward, immediately starting to heal the injured leg.

"Many times," he answered, concentrating on his leg, "However the master is bent on your loyalty and is convinced that you are strong enough to face the jutsu."

"But obviously I'm not …" Sasuke muttered and Kabuto shook his head.

"Don't think that," Kabuto said, "The fact that you are still able to form sentences and move properly is amazing in itself. This technique is deadly; one should die after ten treatments of it. You are lucky that I am only giving you a third of the treatment that Orochimaru expects. He is beginning to doubt my judgement; he is convinced I am exaggerating the situation."

Sasuke nodded as Kabuto finished healing his leg, and he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet by the older ninja.

"What is he trying to make me forget Kabuto?" Sasuke suddenly asked. Kabuto stiffened at the question and shook his head lightly.

"You ask me this question almost every day Sasuke," Kabuto said, and Sasuke turned his head away, ashamed once more, "I do not mind answering it, but I am decreasing the treatment day by day, as I promised to do a year ago. Very soon the memories will return…I do not know when, but something will trigger them eventually."

"Please tell me Kabuto," Sasuke said simply, and Kabuto sighed once more.

"Come here Sasuke," he said and Sasuke walked forwards. Kabuto placed his hand upon Sasuke's head and his hand lit up with chakra once more.

"Partial Mind Heart Retrieval jutsu."

Sasuke's head felt warm, and suddenly a throbbing at the back of his mind started up. It almost had a rhythm to it, as if it was in sync with his heart beat. Kabuto concentrated on a few images he knew of from Sasuke's past, and the images soon flowed from his mind to Sasuke's. He then drew his hand away as Sasuke stood there, his eyes closed, a small smile on his face.

"Those memories will remain for the next few minutes. Enjoy them Sasuke."

Kabuto walked away from the boy to the entrance of the lair, seating himself upon one of the statues outside and viewing the boy from a distance.

Sasuke's mind rushed with new, exciting images from his past, and a young boy with wild blonde hair wearing an orange jumpsuit seemed present in almost every memory.

"You're the first person I formed a bond with…" he said, before the image faded and a young girl with strawberry coloured hair took his place.

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed, placing her hands behind her back and smiling at him with admiration.

Sasuke's heart filled with happiness. Who were these people? What were their names? They seemed to love him, and the obvious ache within his heart told him that they held a special meaning to him as well.

As the memories filled his head he felt himself grow stronger. He removed his sword form its sheath, charging it with electricity and opening his eyes. Kabuto was standing before him again, his palms aglow once more.

"Do feel ready to face me again Sasuke?" he asked quietly and Sasuke nodded, the memories that seemed to fill his soul with warmth beginning to fade. He took a step forward and in the blink of an eye he disappeared.

Kabuto didn't even have time to react before Sasuke was upon him, his deadly sword to his throat.

"I believe you have been overpowered, Kabuto-sempai." He said happily, and Kabuto smiled up at him.

"That I have Sasuke-kun…that I have…"

---

---

_One year earlier_

"_Kabuto…" Sasuke said silently. Kabuto looked up at his young student, surprised at the tone of his voice._

_The two of them were sitting before the fire in Kabuto's room; Hikari was asleep, her head resting in Kabuto's lap. Kabuto was stroking her head gently, removing the hair from her face and tucking it behind her ears._

"_Yes Sasuke-kun?" he answered, noticing that the young boy's eyes were focused on the small girl._

"_You really love your sister, don't you Kabuto?" Sasuke asked, and Kabuto looked down at his sister once more, a small smile on his face. _

"_I cannot lie to you in my sister's presence Sasuke. Yes, I love her very much. I know Orochimaru does not approve of my affection for her, but after my years of service to him it appears I can get away with it."_

"_How do you know you love her Kabuto?"_

"_Well…" he paused, scratching his chin slightly and looking at Sasuke, considering whether to tell him or not, "She's my sister Sasuke. We grew up together. She showed me never ending love and because of her willingness to love me she allowed me to admire her and grow to love her as well. There is no better feeling in this world than being loved."_

_Sasuke nodded, his eyes never leaving the small girls face._

"_You've changed Kabuto," he said suddenly, and Kabuto stiffened, afraid of what Sasuke might say next, "Ever since we found your sister that day you've changed. You're a lot more gentle, not only to her but to me as well. You are no longer cold and difficult to understand."_

_Kabuto sighed, "You are telling me it's a bad thing?"_

"_No!" Sasuke exclaimed so strongly that Kabuto actually jumped slightly. The little girl stirred and moaned a little, but Kabuto silenced her by resuming the stroking of her head. She fell back to sleep and Sasuke continued quietly._

"_I don't think it's bad at all Kabuto. In fact, it's made me start to wonder…"_

_Kabuto eyed him once more, aware of the fact that it was not only he that had changed over the past year. Sasuke had also become much warmer and the coldness he had always portrayed seemed to dissolve lightly whenever Orochimaru was not around. At that moment he seemed to be a small boy once again, unable to decide what to do next._

"_When I decided to leave the village," he continued, "Naruto and Sakura both tried to stop me. I realize now that I was cold and unwilling to receive the affections they had for me. I was so bent on revenge that I allowed the happiness I could've felt to slip away from me. Seeing you with Hikari makes me think about the past…there are so many things I could've done differently…" _

_Kabuto knew that he should immediately become suspicious of Sasuke's speech, and would normally have alerted his master at once to the boy's feelings and the actions that were sure to follow. Kabuto thought of this as Sasuke spoke, but with his sister fast asleep in his lap he couldn't bring himself to think badly of what the boy was saying. Sasuke took a deep breath and voiced what Kabuto was thinking._

"_I know you're going to want to tell Orochimaru this, but the only reason I'm telling you this Kabuto is because I believe you have changed. You can understand exactly what I'm feeling. I can also guarantee you that Orochimaru will not leave your sister in peace. She possesses a special power which will certainly come in handy to our master. She will not be safe forever, and as soon as she is put in danger you will stand by me in what I am saying."_

"_Sasuke-kun," Kabuto interjected, "I must let you know that Orochimaru-sama plans on erasing these memories from your mind. He has become aware of the change that has overcome you, as well as I, and he has been making plans to avoid any confrontation. I will be the one to perform the jutsu that will erase your memories, along with every feeling attached to them."_

_Sasuke gulped slightly and hung his head._

"_I see…"_

"_However," Kabuto continued, "I do understand what you are saying. I also know that my sister will not remain safe forever. When the day comes that Orochimaru will threaten her I plan to do all I can to save her. I would appreciate the help."_

_Sasuke looked up at him and nodded, a stern look on his face._

"_There is no way for us to keep secrets from Orochimaru," he muttered, "Kabuto…is there any way to delay the process of losing my memories?"_

_Kabuto shook his head and Sasuke looked down once more._

"_There is no way for me to prevent it if Orochimaru-sama demands it. However, I can lighten the process. You will forget, but they will return to you at random intervals. You will be able to remember in small pieces, but it will be painful. When the day comes I will slow the process as much as I can and all of your memories will eventually return. I promised I would repay you for keeping quiet about the day we found Hikari. Consider us even after I have done this."_

_Sasuke nodded in agreement._

"_The day will soon come for us to love freely once more, Sasuke." Kabuto said, and the two grasped hands over the head of the sleeping Hikari._

"_Thank you Kabuto."_

Kabuto dismissed Sasuke and sent him back inside, telling him to take it easy on his mind. The treatment would become easier from now on, but Sasuke had to keep control by not allowing the memories he would begin to gain to overflow within him. Sasuke insisted that Kabuto restore all of them to him at once, but it was much too dangerous to do it that way.

"I promise you, within a month all of your memories will be restored, and then our plan can begin to take form."

"What is Orochimaru planning Kabuto?" Sasuke asked, stretching his tired arms above his head.

"That I do not even know," Kabuto said, "It seems I will be informed about it this afternoon however."

"Let me know as soon as you are," Sasuke said as he opened the door to his chamber.

"I shall do so."

"Oh, and Kabuto," Sasuke muttered, before closing his door, "I'm sorry about Hikari. We all knew it would happen eventually, and you know she'll be strong enough to fight it. There's no way the love you two share would be broken, no matter what Orochimaru forces upon her. We'll save her Kabuto."

Kabuto smiled at the boy he had grown to like and nodded. The door shut and Kabuto turned his back, heading for the confinement chamber as his master had instructed.


	18. Chapter 18: Meeting a new technique

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meeting a new technique

"So, tell me about this jutsu of yours?" Shikamaru said just before a gigantic yawn escaped his mouth.

Temari chuckled slightly as she placed a cup of coffee before him.

"How about you tell me how you slept on that couch first?"

Shikamaru grimaced slightly and put a hand to his back, stretching his other arm over his head.

"Not too bad," he said, and Temari shook her head.

"You're a really bad liar, you know? Honestly, if you want your bed back you can take it, I won't mind taking the couch. Otherwise I can just move into a hotel for the next month or so."

"Don't you dare!" Shikamaru said, sitting up straight and almost upsetting his coffee, "Do you have any idea what the Hokage would say? She'd think I kicked you out! I'd rather sleep on the couch than face her."

Temari laughed and sat down across from him, leaning forward and placing her chin into her hands.

"And you call yourself a ninja?" she said matter of factly, "Afraid of the big bad Hokage are you?"

"You haven't seen her on a bad day," he replied simply and took a sip of his coffee.

Temari watched him with admiration. It felt so strange to spend a night in his house with him sleeping only a few feet away from her, and then waking up to serve him breakfast. The lazy bum didn't even hear her when she entered the kitchen and only reluctantly decided to leave the couch after many clangs and bangs made purposefully by Temari. He had very little food in his fridge and eventually Temari had to be satisfied with only a slice of unbuttered toast with a cup of sugarless coffee.

"So, it's your turn now," he said, setting his cup down on the table and placing his chin onto his laced fingers, "Tell me about your jutsu."

Temari stared him down for a few seconds, but eventually she lowered her hands and sat back in her chair.

"It's quite simple really," she began, "Baki-sensei started training us in the art of shape-shifting from a young age. All jonins are able to do it. Here in Konoha ninja's tend to disappear by changing their shape into a whirlwind of leaves or a puff of smoke, appearing where they like in an instant. The leaves are taken from a certain area and they simply replace their bodies with the leaves and reappear where the leaves were taken from. It's very much along the same lines as the log technique."

Shikamaru nodded. He understood the theory well, and he was anxious for Temari to get to the solution of her new technique.

"The bad point about the log technique is that it is easy to read at times, and it doesn't allow the user to suppress any chakra or become truly invisible. The shape-shift technique, however, allows the user to suppress their chakra as they travel from one point to the other, and they are able to become invisible for a short period of time. I enhanced this technique by using my fan. I was able to make myself disappear by using my fan as a medium to change into, as well as making the fan disappear at the same time. This way I would be able to sneak up behind an opponent because none of my chakra would leak even after I reappeared behind them. I then began to wonder: What would happen if I enhanced this technique in such a way that I would not appear again? What if I could stay in this invisible state for long periods of time? I worked harder and harder at it, and, finally, this is the result."

Temari stood up and took her fan from the wall. She opened it before her and brought one hand to her face in the form of a tiger seal. She then wove the fan before her from side to side, her face plastered in concentration, and after the third wave she spun it entirely around. She disappeared from the one end of the fan as it spun around her, almost as if there was a specific line in the air which caused her to disappear. Shikamaru noticed that her chakra was depleting, and soon she and the fan had disappeared entirely. He couldn't sense her at all, nor could he hear or see her. Therefore when he felt a slight tap on his shoulder he jumped and turned around in his seat, knocking his coffee cup over.

"It uses no chakra to remain in this state," he heard Temari say, "It will only use chakra to reach it and pull out of it. In order to gain this state one must think of what makes one feels happiest, and must then imagine it disappearing from one end to the other. A medium must be used and swung before the person three times before one can disappear. In order to release it one must simply…"

Temari came back into view with the tiger seal before her once more, "Imagine one visible and think the word 'release'. It's as easy as pie, but it takes immense concentration and chakra control. No genjutsu can affect you in this form. Only physical attacks can harm you, but that's only if one is able to find you. Ninjutsu also has no affect in capturing you; however, it seems only one can."

She smiled down at the surprised boy who immediately understood.

"The only weakness besides physical attacks it the shadow possession technique," Shikamaru said, and Temari nodded.

"Well," he sighed, sitting back once more, "At least I know I'll never lose you!"

"Ha!" Temari shouted, grabbing a dish cloth and tossing it his way, "That's only if you'll be able to find me shadow ass. Now, clean up that mess!"

Shikamaru grinned at her evilly.

"First tell me what makes you happiest," he said and Temari shook her head, heading for the bathroom.

---

---

Hinata was woken up by one of her servants, as usual.

"Good morning Hinata-sama," the girl muttered quietly as Hinata sat up, stretching her arms over her head.

"Good morning Misaki," Hinata said with a small smile, lifting her bed covers and placing her feet on the soft rug below her bed.

"I trust you slept well Hinata-sama," the girl said as she rushed forward with a cup of tea on a tray. She placed it alongside the comfortable chair next to the bed and then held out Hinata's gown which she took from a rail.

"Very well!" Hinata exclaimed, standing up and allowing the girl to place the silk gown over her shoulders. She then sat down on the chair and reached for the tea cup while Misaki proceeded to make the bed.

"You know there's no need for you to be so formal with me Misaki," Hinata said as she took a sip from her teacup, "And I am also perfectly capable of making my own bed."

"I'm aware of that Hinata-sama," Misaki said, "But Sir Hyuuga demands it I'm afraid. I would not want to face his wrath if he knew his eldest daughter and heir to the Hyuuga clan were making her own bed."

Hinata giggled.

"Yes, I'm sure he'd be furious. But father just doesn't seem to understand that I want to do it myself."

"But you are a Hyuuga! You have every right to be waited on hand and foot!"

"I know Misaki," Hinata sighed, "But sometimes I just wish I was something other than a Hyuuga…I've always wanted to lead a simple, carefree life of one of the other female ninja's; to be able to do almost anything without restrictions and to be able to feel like myself. I hate having to feel so formal and proper every time I'm at home."

"I can understand Hinata-sama," Misaki said, nodding slightly. Hinata smiled at her and drained the last of her tea, placing the cup back onto the tray. Misaki immediately rushed forward and picked it up.

"It seems as if you were out late last night though…you missed supper."

"Oh, I know," Hinata said sweetly, "I asked Neji to inform father I would be out for the night. Did he do so?"

Misaki nodded, "He did, but…your father was not pleased."

"Oh, I can imagine," Hinata said simply, standing up and beginning to hum to herself. Misaki watched her in surprise.

"Is Hinata-sama not afraid of what Sir Hyuuga will do to her?" she asked, and Hinata shook her head.

"For some or other reason I don't feel scared of him today," Hinata said simply, spinning around happily and falling back down on the newly made bed.

Misaki smiled slightly and immediately knew why Hinata was acting the way she was. She placed the tray back down on the table and folded her hands obediently in front of her, nudging slowly over to Hinata.

"Might this sudden change have to do with a certain boy by the name of Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked, and Hinata sat straight up immediately.

"How did you know?" she asked, and Misaki smiled slyly.

"Oh, only because he was at the house early this morning. I happened to be up, because I know you often go for an early morning run Hinata-sama, and I wanted to meet you at the gate. I realized however that you had slept in this morning, and as I was about the return to the house the young boy arrived at the gate with a note in his hand."

She smiled at Hinata, whose eyes had turned to sparkles of happiness, and she reached into the pouch of her apron and pulled out a folded piece of paper with Hinata's name on it.

Hinata took it gingerly and had to stop herself from unfolding it immediately. She smiled up at Misaki and said thank you.

"It's my pleasure Hinata-sama," she said, picking up the tray and turning to leave the room, "He really is a very well mannered boy. Spoke to me as if I was a Hyuuga myself. He seems very fond of you."

She left the room and shut the door quietly, remaining outside for a fraction of a second longer in order to hear Hinata shout in happiness:

"He's fond of me? Yes!"

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Hinata rushed downstairs an hour later after she'd had a bath and gotten dressed. She had decided to take some of Sakura's advice that she had received last night to dress more femininely. She always wore her ninja clothes when she left the house because she often had training to do, and she had automatically gotten into the habit of it even on her off days. Sometimes when she knew she would not be leaving the house she would wear loose fitting pants along with a casual shirt, especially when she planned to work in the garden, but Sakura had informed her that if she wanted to gain Naruto's attention and be admired as a female ninja she needed to pay more attention to her appearance.

She had always had nice clothes in her cupboard; some of them had been passed down to her by her mother when she was still a young girl, but she had always been too embarrassed to wear them. Her father had also given her money to purchase clothes and she had often shopped along with the other female servants of the house who had always made wonderful suggestions on what to wear. She avoided wearing most of the items, but today she took them lightly from their hangers, considering what to wear for the day.

Hinata descended the stairs wearing a light blue cotton dress which hugged her features nicely, but was not as elegant as the one she had worn the night before. It had thin spaghetti straps with a heart shaped neckline and fell to her calves. She chose to wear flat black sandals with them and she tied her hair up in a high ponytail with a blue ribbon. As an extra that she was now certain would become a regular part of her look she added the necklace Naruto had bought her. She rather liked the entire effect her look had and she wondered what the others would say when they saw her in this.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs she rushed down the hallway towards the dining room, but instead of entering it she slipped into a side door and found herself in the kitchen where the round bellied chef was busy preparing a large breakfast.

"Ah, Hinata-sama!" he exclaimed as she rushed towards him, giving him a quick hug, "You look splendid today!"

"Thank you Ichigo-san!" she said, doing a small curtsey and grabbing a slice of toast off the plate next to him, "I'm afraid I have no time for breakfast this morning, but I promise I'll make it up to you! I'll help with dessert tonight!"

"No problem Hinata-sama. Enjoy your day!"

Hinata gave a quick bow as she exited the kitchen, opening the door with her back, the slice of toast in her mouth.

As she turned to run down the hall once more she collided with her father's chest. She stepped back quickly, her training coming in handy as she snatched the toast from her mouth. The joy she had been feeling a second earlier dissipated slightly as she stared up at the strict eyes of her father.

"Good morning father…" she muttered, recoiling slightly under his gaze.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry Hinata?" her father asked, and she looked down at the slice of toast in her hand guiltily.

"I've received an invitation to meet a friend," she said quietly, aware of the fact that it was the second time in the past two days he had heard that phrase. That was exactly what she had told Neji to tell her father after she had run off last night.

"It appears that you are very popular lately," he said and she kept quiet, unsure of what to say.

"Finish that slice of toast Hinata, and meet me in my office. I wish to speak with you."

"But-" Hinata started, but a sharp glare from her father told her that there was no way she could disobey.

"Yes father."

He turned and made his way to his office as Hinata quickly gobbled up the slice of toast in a very unladylike manner. She then followed her father and entered his office, closing the door shut behind her.

Hiashi Hyuuga stood with his back to her, staring out the window over the grounds of his large estate. He spotted many people tending to the gardens and he had a perfect view of the gate where he could see people passing by. Some of them would chance a quick glance into the compound in curiosity, while others pointedly stared, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famed Hyuuga's.

"Do you know why I have asked to speak with you Hinata?" he asked suddenly, and he heard a slight squeak behind him as his daughter tried to answer as quickly as possible.

"I-I-I have an idea why father."

The stutter had returned; somehow she was unable to keep the fear from her voice whenever she was alone with her father, no matter how brave she felt. She scolded herself lightly as the words came out, telling herself not to give her father the satisfaction of seeing her so afraid.

"What idea is that my daughter?" Hiashi had now turned to face her, and he noticed for the first time how his daughter was dressed. She had discarded her ninja garb and was instead wearing a dress he had never seen before. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, wondering what had brought about this sudden change.

Hinata took a deep breath and said in as controlled a voice as she could muster:

"I believe father is angry with me for leaving last night without his permission."

"Only half correct, but it will do," Hiashi stated and he motioned for his daughter to sit down. Hinata did as she was told, sitting herself in one of the armchairs which as covered with a red leather-like material. She sat and observed her fathers office as he sat down alongside her. Her father's office was rather bare, with no pictures on the walls and only a dim light upon his desk was used to illuminate the room. Thick red curtains covered most of the windows except for the one behind his desk; however the curtain only allowed some of the light to filter through. On the desk was a simple picture frame, containing a picture of a ten year old Hinata and her younger sister Hinabi. Hinata wondered whether her father ever really looked at the picture upon his desk, but her attention snapped back to him as he cleared his throat.

"Hinata," her father started in a serious tone of voice which caused the back of her neck to prickle, "Neji informs me that after training yesterday you collapsed, apparently due to exhaustion. However, after the description your cousin gave me of your collapse something has been made very obvious to me."

Hiashi sighed and Hinata cocked her head lightly in confusion. She remembered that she had collapsed yesterday, but for some or other reason she knew it was not out of exhaustion. A strange dream she had had lingered at the edge of her thoughts, but she was unable to recall exactly what had happened within it.

"What do you remember of your mother Hinata?" Hiashi suddenly asked, and Hinata was startled by the strange question.

"Not much," she admitted, thinking back on her memories from so long ago, "Only that her hands were soft and that she used to sing me to sleep…I can imagine that she was very beautiful."

Hiashi nodded, "Indeed she was. But Hinata, your mother was not a Hyuuga as many believe. She had many of the same characteristics of a Hyuuga; the pale eyes along with the gentle fist style of fighting. However, she could not use the Byakugan."

Hinata gasped and brought her hands to her mouth in surprise, and her father smiled slightly at her, something Hinata rarely saw her father do.

"Yes Hinata, she was unable to use the Byakugan, but she had other skills. Your mother had the skill of foresight as you would call it. She was able to see visions from the near and distant future. The symptoms Neji explained to me last night made it clear to me that you had finally experienced this power. Hinata, can you remember anything from when you collapsed?"

Hinata shook her head lightly, but added nonetheless:

"I can remember having a dream, but I am unable to remember exactly what it was about."

Hiashi nodded, leaning back in his chair.

"That is good enough Hinata. Now, I will overlook your reckless behaviour last night this once, but I want you to promise me it will not happen again. From now on you will ask permission yourself and not send messages to me through your cousin. We will continue this discussion at a later stage. You are excused."

Hinata stood up and left the office as quickly as possible, leaving her father alone in his dark study. Hiashi opened a desk drawer as soon as she left and took out a golden picture frame with a photograph of a beautiful woman holding a small child in her arms.

"Hiryuu…" he muttered, "Did you know this would happen? Is that why you sacrificed yourself to save our first born child? And to think I treated her with nothing but disdain all of these years…"

Tears ran down the cheeks of the head of the Hyuuga clan as he stared at the photograph, an aching within his heart.

"Hiryuu…forgive me."


	19. Chapter 19: Invitation

_Ola everybody! Finally found some time to write! I've actually had this chapter ready for about a week, but I only managed to get onto the Internet now…sorry guys! Hope everyone had a really good Christmas and a splendid New Year. :-D_

Well, Chapter Nineteen reporting for duty, and don't forget to leave me a review! Was hoping for a few more with those last two chapters, but hey, I'm not that picky. ;-) he he…

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**Chapter Nineteen**

Invitation

Hinata passed through the family dojo in order to take the side gate out of the Hyuuga grounds, and was not surprised to find Neji inside training.

"Good morning Neji-nii-san," Hinata said cheerfully to her cousin, who was facing the other direction.

Neji turned his head to face her, nodding in greeting hastily before returning to his opponent. He soon turned his whole body to face her however, his eyes hinting at surprise. The opponent, seeing an opportunity rushed forward, palm facing outwards, but Neji quickly knocked his arm away and pushed his head to the ground using the other hand, planting it there with his foot.

"Good morning Hinata-sama," he said, not missing a beat, "May I say that you look lovely today?"

Hinata blushed slightly and nervously placed one foot behind the other, her arms behind her back.

"T-Thank you Neji-nii-san," she muttered, looking at the ground.

"You do know that it is not uncommon for cousins to marry in the Hyuuga clan," Neji suddenly said and Hinata raised her head quickly, her blush deepening on her cheeks.

"W-What!" she exclaimed, taking a step back as her cousin took his foot from the back of his opponents head and made his way quickly to her. He pulled her hands from behind her back and put both of them in his, he's eyes locked onto Hinata's.

"I've always thought you beautiful Hinata-sama, even from a young age. But I never imagined just _how_ beautiful you could be. If only I could have the honour of courting you…"

Hinata spluttered, knowing that her hands had grown sweaty in his and her mind had grown foggy, making her unable to form a proper sentence.

"But," Neji said, straightening up and letting go of Hinata's hands, making his way back to the unconscious boy on the floor, "I would not want to stand in Uzumaki Naruto's way for your hand."

"What!" Hinata exclaimed again, her mind finally shifting back into reality at Naruto's name.

Neji turned around and winked at Hinata, a most peculiar action for the boy, and Hinata felt herself becoming more and more confused; not only her servant, but Neji as well? What did they know about Naruto that she did not?

Hinata remained frozen to the spot a few more seconds before running out of the dojo at top speed. Whatever it was Hinata had to hear from Naruto himself; she was already late to meet him. As she ran she pulled a note out from the small pouch she had slung around her shoulder and proceeded to read it once more.

_Hinata-chan_

_I was hoping to catch you at the park this morning, but it seems I was too late. I'm not exactly sure what time you go running. Maybe we could go running together from now on?_

_Anyway, we'll talk later; I'll wait for you at Ichiraku Ramen till you get this note. Just come when you're ready to leave home, ok? I'll see you later!_

_Naruto_

Hinata smiled with happiness once more. Her Naruto had sent her a note telling her he wanted to see her. He hadn't mentioned what about, but his frank and to-the-point style of writing made her giggle. It was no formal invitation, and it was obvious that he had scribbled it out quickly but to Hinata it was precious. She planned to hold onto it for as long as she could; it was the first real bit of evidence she had that Naruto had wanted to spend time with her.

As she ran her mind began to stray from Naruto and back to her father who was surely still in his study. What was this strange new power that her father claimed she had? He hadn't explained anything to her about it except that her mother had possessed the same skill and Hinata wondered whether he was just over analyzing the situation. However, she did admit that she had been experiencing strange moments of de ja vu lately. It was often small moments during battle that made her pause and realize that she had experienced it before, but she often thought nothing of it and carried on regardless. The more she thought about the more she realized that were indeed moments that she would fall into a strange dream in the middle of an activity. It often happened to her when she was having a hot steamy bath or…just after an intense training session.

Hinata shook the thoughts from her head as she neared the restaurant. It was unwise to worry about it now; at that moment all she wanted was to spend time with her Naruto-kun.

She finally reached the restaurant and lifted the flap to peer inside. She immediately spotted a bush of wild blonde hair and she approached him slowly, taking a deep breath. She didn't notice who was sitting alongside him until she heard her speak.

"Oh Naruto, you can't be serious!" Sakura exclaimed, giggling to herself and placing her hand on his arm.

"No, really Sakura-chan, I saw them at it!" Naruto said, leaning in closer, a wide grin plastered on his face. Sakura removed her hand from his shoulder and rested her head on her other hand instead, staring at him in disbelief.

"I wanted to bust them as soon as I saw it, but Ero-sennin noticed me, as usual, and the next thing I knew 'poof!' they were gone!"

Sakura shook her head and glanced at the doorway, spotting Hinata who had frozen, the flap of the opening half raised as she listened.

"Oh, Naruto, look who it is!" Sakura said, pointing to the door. Naruto spun around and, seeing Hinata, immediately turned red and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Come join us Hinata!" Sakura said, beckoning the girl over. Hinata left her position at the entrance and made her way over to them placing herself next to Sakura with a confused look upon her face.

"What are you doing here Hinata?" Sakura asked innocently and Hinata looked over at Naruto who seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

"Well I-" Hinata started, but she was quickly cut off by Naruto.

"I invited her Sakura-chan," he spluttered, and Sakura smiled at him.

"Oh, how lovely! Did you invite her to have breakfast with us?"

"Well, actually…I invited her to have breakfast with me…"

"Oh, alright then," Sakura said, appearing not to have heard him and turning to Hinata instead, "Last night was really wonderful Hinata; we must do it more often! By the way, I love that dress! Is it new?"

Hinata shook her head but remained quiet. Sakura suddenly felt the awkwardness in the air, and she caught on what was happening.

"Oh…" Sakura muttered, standing up slowly, "I'm interrupting something aren't I?"

"N-No Sakura-san, I'm interrupting, I'm sorry-"Hinata said, standing up, but Naruto beat her to it.

"No Hinata, I invited you!" Naruto said, jumping up, causing Sakura to stare between the two of them, feeling slightly hurt.

"No, no it's fine!" she said, waving her hands and beckoning the two of them to sit down, "I didn't know the two of you had plans! I'll just…be on my way then."

Sakura left quickly as Hinata sank back onto her stool, feeling extremely embarrassed at the awkward situation she now found herself in. Naruto cleared his throat and pulled at his collar, sitting back down again and sighing.

They sat in silence for a few minutes; Hinata had her hands clasped in her lap and was staring down at them, throwing occasional glances Naruto's way. Naruto sat with his head in his hands, unsure of what to say to the girl sitting a fair distance from him. Eventually he swallowed and opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan," he said simply, looking at the girl in embarrassment.

"What for Naruto-kun?" she asked and Naruto shifted uncomfortably again in his stool.

"I…well I didn't know you were standing there Hinata-chan…"

Hinata looked at him in confusion and Naruto took a deep breath, bracing himself for what may come next.

"I feel a bit embarrassed, I'm sorry."

"I don't understand Naruto-kun," Hinata said, noticing how far apart they were sitting now that Sakura had left.

"Well, I…I was discussing something with Sakura that I don't think you would have approved of…" Naruto muttered, his cheeks reddening.

Hinata still felt confused, and she thought back on the conversation she had overheard. Naruto mentioned catching a …Perverted Hermit? He caught a perverted hermit doing something and was unable to catch them. She didn't know what was strange about it, so she shrugged her shoulders and gave Naruto an innocent smile.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about Naruto-kun," she said, and Naruto's face seemed to fill with relief.

"Honestly Hinata-chan?" he said, shifting over to the chair next to her, "You promise?"

Hinata nodded and Naruto sighed with happiness.

"What could be so bad Naruto-kun?" she asked, and he stiffened again.

"Oh nothing! Don't worry about it Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed and she nodded once more.

Naruto breathed another sigh of relief. If Hinata had overheard him talking about the Perverted Hermit spying on girls in the hot springs he wondered what she would've thought of him. He was trying desperately to impress the girl; he didn't want to ruin it now.

Now that the ice was broken Hinata and Naruto got along much more comfortably; the two of them ordered the same meals they had eaten the day before and the old man behind the counter gave Naruto an odd little wink as he left to prepare the food.

"So Hinata-chan, how was your run this morning?" Naruto asked innocently as he stirred the drink before him, "I'm sorry I missed you. I think I was too late."

"Actually Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a bit of embarrassment, "I never had an early morning run. I was much too tired after last night."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed, causing the waitress to look over at them in surprise, "You can't be serious Hinata-chan? Were you really that tired?"

Hinata nodded guiltily and Naruto laughed.

"And you seemed wide awake when I walked you home last night!"

"Well, I was wide awake then; the excitement of the whole night really was enough to give me energy. I had so much fun Naruto-kun! Thank you!"

Naruto smiled at her with admiration. His heart rate quickened as he thought back on the reason why he had invited her there in the first place. He felt his palms grow sweaty and he pulled at his collar nervously once more, clearing his throat.

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Sakura ducked beneath the cloth that marked the entrance of the Ichiraku Ramen shop, feeling slightly hurt by the way she had been so quickly dismissed. As she straightened up she had to shield her eyes from the harshness of the sun which was making its appearance over the top the Hokage tower.

She hung her head in order to keep the sharpness of the sun away from her eyes and began to walk slowly in no specific direction. She didn't know why, but between last night and this morning a dramatic change had come over the closest person she had, and she wondered whether her part in it had turned out to be a good or a bad thing. She wanted to trust that Hinata was the one person who could give Naruto all of the love and admiration that he deserved, but if it meant that she and Naruto would be separated because of it then she preferred to have things remain the way they were.

After Sasuke left she and Naruto had grown closer during their never ending search and inner battles to find him. Sakura didn't know when it had happened, but she knew that at some stage during their training and traveling together she had begun to love the person who she had once hated most. Four years ago she found Naruto to be annoying, inconsiderate and ungrateful. She could even admit that she had been slightly jealous at one time when Naruto could do whatever he pleased without being reprimanded by parents or older siblings, but that soon passed. As soon as Sakura had got to know the loud, obnoxious boy, however, she found out that he was still annoying at times, but he was more considerate towards her and every other person close to him than Sasuke could ever be, and he was also so happy to be loved. Sakura had found it so easy to admire Naruto and to begin to love him, simply because he had so much love to give and was so grateful when he received it. It pained Sakura to know that all the love that Naruto had so willingly shown her during their childhood was now being given to Hinata.

Sakura strayed off of the village path and into the forest that bordered the village at the base of the mountain that surrounded it. Maybe she was meant to be with Naruto? Why did she find it so difficult to let go of an infatuation that had clouded her senses for so many years? Sasuke had never given her any indication that he felt the same way she did, so why couldn't she bare to let her feelings for him go? She was lost in thought as she trudged through one of the familiar forest paths, and she barely noticed in which direction she was heading until she heard a familiar bark reach her ears.

_Yap, yap, yap!_

Sakura looked ahead of her to see a small animal make its way towards her, its tongue lolling out of its mouth in excitement. It had white fur except for the tip of its tail and the paws of its feet which were a light peachy colour.

"Kaminari!" Sakura cried as the little pup leaped into her arms and began to furiously lick her face, yelping slightly in excitement.

Sakura held the puppy at arms length, but that didn't mean it would stop trying to lick her face. Soon she resorted to putting the pup back at her feet where it constantly tried to jump up, despite her efforts of trying to calm the energetic puppy down.

"Kaminari!" she heard a stern voice shout from around the bend, and the puppy turned its attention towards it instead, panting wildly. A loud bark accompanied the voice around the bend and Kaminari immediately calmed down at the sound of it, lying down flat on the floor, ears back.

Sakura walked forwards curiously and at that moment Kiba and Akamaru rounded the corner, their breaths coming in gasps.

"Kaminari!" Kiba exclaimed once more, leaning over and placing his hands on his knees, "We finally caught up to you!"

He hadn't seemed to notice Sakura yet, and she knelt down next to the puppy, staring up at Kiba with concern.

"Good morning Kiba-," she said and he looked up at her quickly, surprised.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" he asked and Sakura shrugged her shoulders, lightly rubbing the top of Kaminari's head.

"Just taking a walk," she said, eyeing him up and down. There were sweat patches at his neck, back and arms and he seemed to be struggling to regain his breath.

"Out for a mid-morning run?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh, you have no idea!" exclaimed Kiba, sitting down and removing his hooded jacket, then grabbing his shirt and pulling at it uncomfortably. Sakura watched him; he seemed to be suffering from severe dehydration and fatigue, and he needed to get air into his lungs.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, moving closer despite Kiba's nod, "Here, I can help," she said, standing up, walking over and kneeling down next to him, "Take your shirt off."

Kiba stopped his panting momentarily and stared at her.

"Excuse me?" he breathed, and Sakura's already short temper took effect.

"Are you going to refuse the orders of a medical nin?" she demanded, causing Akamaru and the pup on the ground to raise their heads in surprise. Kiba jumped and shook his head, hurriedly pulling off his shirt and welcoming the cool breeze. He didn't have much time to enjoy it though, because Sakura pushed him down to lie flat on his back.

"Now, don't be alarmed," she said as she tied her hair back into a small ponytail, "I've done this a few times before."

With that said she swung her one leg over him and sat down square on his lower abdomen.

"H-Hey, Sakura, what are you doing?" Kiba tried to yell, but it was clear that he had almost no breath within him.

"Don't complain," Sakura said, gathering the green healing chakra into both her palms and placing one on Kiba's chest and one on her own, "This is the way it's supposed to be done. Don't get any wrong ideas."

Kiba began to feel worried as to what Sakura planned on doing, but soon felt reassured by the fact that his chest suddenly felt a lot lighter and the stitches in his ribs were disappearing. He wondered as to why Sakura had her other hand to her own chest though.

"Wha-what are you doing there," he wheezed out; his breath still wasn't restored and he was beginning to feel light headed from the lack of oxygen.

"I'm increasing my lung capacity in order to receive more oxygen so that I can restore yours," she muttered, concentrating.

Kiba nodded in understanding, then asked: "And how do you restore the oxygen to my-"

He was cut off as Sakura's palms grew dull again and she took a long deep breath, falling down and taking his face in her hands. She then knelt in and placed her mouth over his.

He opened his mouth in surprise and Sakura opened hers as well. Soon a steady flow of chakra induced oxygen was running from Sakura to Kiba, and his lungs filled with air once more. He heard a slight wine and he turned his eyes to the side to see Akamaru holding a paw before Kaminari's face. He smiled beneath Sakura's mouth, and then turned his attention back to the girl upon him. She had her eyes closed and she kept her tongue to the bottom of her mouth, allowing it to poke out over her teeth ever so slightly every few seconds.

The two of them remained like that for a little over a minute before Sakura sat up again and swung herself off of Kiba, standing upright and dusting herself off. Kiba remained where he was, still slightly overcome with shock, but mostly with relief that he was able to breathe again.

"Feel better?" Sakura asked as she extended her hand to pull Kiba up. He took it gratefully and stood up, still silent and seeming slightly dazed.

"Like I said," Sakura said, "Don't take it personally. That's a new procedure that the Hokage and I spent a great deal of time perfecting. It might be taken up wrongly, but in the end it has the right effect. All I did was restore the oxygen to your lungs; I did not kiss you, I did not come on to you and I am not secretly attracted to you. Are we clear?"

Kiba watched the girl as she stood there, lecturing him, her one hand on her hip and the other being used to make many descriptive gestures. Even though Kiba heard what she was saying he couldn't help but think that maybe everything she was saying was a front, and that she was actually secretly attracted to him. Perhaps it was just his ego that was thinking that.

"Are we clear?" Sakura asked again, and Kiba snapped his attention back to her, nodding vigorously.

"Good," she said, turning her back on him and making her way over to the puppy again which was still lying flat on the ground, not having moved an inch. Kiba felt a slight tugging at his side and he turned to find Akamaru standing there with his shirt in between his teeth, a sly smile upon his canine face. Kiba took the shirt from him and pulled it back over his head, making his way over to Sakura who was kneeling down stroking the puppy's head once more.

"Thanks Sakura," Kiba said, kneeling down next to her, "It's a good thing you were here, else I might've collapsed or something. Still, that is a strange technique…maybe I should let you treat me more often."

Sakura blushed slightly, not taking her eyes away from the small dog on the floor, and she cleared her throat nervously. Was Kiba always this flirtatious, or was it just her imagination?

"W-what were you doing that caused to become so dangerously exhausted anyway?" Sakura asked hurriedly and Kiba grinned.

"I'll show you if you'd like?"

Sakura glanced at Kiba; she had never really gotten to know the boy who was sitting alongside her, even in the academy days. Kiba had always been the one who fooled around with Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji, and she had considered him to be just as bad as Naruto during those times. However, Naruto had become one of the greatest ninja's amongst their entire group, and Shikamaru wasn't far behind either. Maybe she had judged every one of those boys wrongly, and maybe it was time to fix that. She'd already become good friends with Shikamaru and Choji, maybe it was time to get to know Kiba as well? Sakura smiled at him and nodded her head.

"Sure, why not?"

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_The pretty button is waiting…it was pushed so long ago! Please review!_


	20. Chapter 20: Lightning

_Hello again everybody! :-D_

_Yup, I know it's been a while since my last update and I apologise profusely for that...it's been a hectic two months for me. In short: Men are stupid! He he. But anyway, here's chapter twenty, will try to get the next update up very soon!_

_Love you all, and I'd like some brilliant reviews, k?_

**Love nix**

**Chapter Twenty**

Lightning

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto started, and Hinata looked up at him, suddenly aware of the seriousness in his voice and the slight nervous tone.

"Yes Naruto-kun?" she replied, turning in her seat to face him.

"Well Hinata-chan, since yesterday I've been doing quite a lot of thinking, which I don't really do very often…"

Hinata giggled despite herself; everyone knew that Naruto wasn't exactly famous for his amazing mind power. Hinata understood that it had been more difficult for him than most others to learn and grow strong because of the loneliness he had experienced as a child. Hinata had always had help in the form of her family and friends to help her through her childhood days, but Naruto had been entirely alone. This had resulted in him being seen as stupid by the majority of his classmates, but Hinata had always known that there was something much more beneath what everybody else saw. Therefore hearing Naruto admit that he didn't do a lot of thinking regularly made her laugh because she knew he was a lot smarter and much more thoughtful than he made himself out to be. Naruto however didn't seem to have heard her.

"…and, well, I've decided to do something which I find kind of scary…I'm actually dead scared of saying it."

"You're scared Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked in disbelief; she didn't think Naruto possessed an emotion such as fear. She had always considered him immensely courageous.

"Well, yeah…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "Strange huh?"

"I didn't think you'd be scared of anything Naruto-kun," Hinata bravely said, but very quietly nonetheless,

"Oh, heck no Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, leaning towards her, "I'm scared so often that I sometimes have nightmares about it!"

"But how Naruto-kun? You're always so brave in battle!"

"Well," Naruto started, chewing on the straw in his drink, "I guess you sometimes need to be scared in order to be brave Hinata-chan. You see; if you're never scared of anything how can you overcome that fear and show bravery? If you're never scared then you wouldn't be brave, you'd just be fearless. You'd make stupid decisions and rush into things if you weren't scared of them. I'm afraid of many things Hinata-chan…aren't you?"

Hinata nodded shyly, thinking immediately of many different things; she was scared of failure, she was scared of her father, she was afraid of losing her friends and loved ones…she was afraid of losing Naruto…but most of all she was afraid that Naruto would never be able to return the feelings she felt for him.

"What are you scared of Naruto-kun?" she asked, curious as to know what Naruto feared the most. Naruto looked at her, considering whether to tell her or not, and Hinata was happy when she saw he saw no harm in it.

"Not too many things," Naruto said, leaning back in his seat, "But the things I am afraid of are very important to me nonetheless. I'm afraid that one day I'll end up back where I was as a child…alone and living in hell…I fear that so much Hinata-chan…"

Naruto looked up at her with a solemn expression which soon changed to a large grin when he saw her look of concern.

"But then I look at people like you who love and care for me and I know I don't have to worry about it anymore. I just hope I don't do anything stupid that'll cause me to lose all of the love and friendship that I'm so happy to have."

"You'll never lose me Naruto-kun," Hinata said, smiling at the boy, "No matter what I'll always be your friend."

She didn't know what had come over her to say such a thing, but the fact that Naruto had used her as an example of all the love he had in his life she had somehow felt courage. Suddenly it didn't feel awkward to tell Naruto about her feelings…yet she was still so afraid that he would not return them. In the end she decided on saying nothing more about her feelings than she already had, and kept the fear within her heart alive because of it. Naruto returned her smile.

"Really Hinata?" Do you mean it?"

Hinata nodded once more, and Naruto's face broke out into one of the largest smiles she's ever seen the boy produce.

"Same here Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, reaching forward and taking her hand, "I'll always be around and I'll always take care of you, no matter what! Because you're special Hinata…"

Hinata's heart beat began to pick up. What was Naruto saying? And why was he holding onto her hand so tightly? She felt the heat creep up into her face as she saw Naruto struggle with his words. It was clear that he wanted to say something very important, and she began to feel nervous as to what it was. She could hear her raging pulse within her ears and she tried to keep herself calm, but soon her stomach was in knots and she was trying her very best not to faint. Naruto cleared his throat again. He was about to say it…

"Hinata-chan, I –"

"Here you go!" said the owner of the restaurant, "A large order of pork ramen for Naruto and a small order for the lady. Enjoy!"

He seemed unaware that he had just interrupted something. Naruto quickly let go of Hinata's hand and moved in front of his steaming hot bowl, a guilty look covering his face and his eyes darting in Hinata's direction. Hinata simply sat there, staring at him. Soon she turned to her attention to her own bowl and hung her head slightly. Her stomach was still a twisted ball of nerves, and she suddenly had no appetite.

"W-Well, shall we eat Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked and she looked at him fondly. She felt as if she had been cheated by the waiter, but smiled nonetheless and nodded her head. The two of them reached for their chop sticks and broke them, then said in identical quiet voices:

"Itadakimasu."

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"You've met Kaminari before, haven't you?" Kiba asked as the four companions made their way up the mountainside.

"Of course!" Sakura exclaimed, holding the panting puppy in her arms, "I still helped your mother with the birth at that time."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot," Kiba said, feeling slightly embarrassed. He had never really taken much notice of Sakura before; she had been one of Sasuke's fan girls back in the academy and that had automatically caused Kiba to avoid her at all costs. As they grew older though, he had begun to develop some respect for her. She was really a master at medical jutsus, especially for someone of her age, and Kiba had begun to rely on her abilities when on missions with her. He thought back on the previous medical jutsu she had performed on him and he grew, if possible, slightly hotter and he pulled at the collar of his jacket.

"Well, he wasn't given that name for nothing you know," he continued as he jumped up onto a large boulder and held out his hand to pull her up. She accepted it and allowed him to pull her up onto the boulder, the small dog still sitting snugly in her arms, "I'm trying to train him but it's proving…difficult…"

"Why do you say that?" Sakura asked, looking down at the puppy in disbelief, "How difficult can it be to train something so young and eager to learn?"

"That's just the problem. He's too eager! It's difficult to keep him under control, especially with his ability."

Sakura looked at him, confused, "What ability does he have?"

"Here, I'll show you," Kiba said, prying the dog from her hands and placing him down on the ground. He immediately began to jump up and bark excitedly.

"Shh…quiet down you energetic dog!" Kiba said rather harshly. The puppy stopped for a full three seconds before it started jumping up again. Kiba sighed, scratching in his pouch for something, "I know I'm going to regret this but luckily Sakura is here."

He extracted a soldier pill and held it out in his hand towards Sakura. She stared at it and then looked up at him questionably.

"These soldier pills have a different effect on every one of our dogs, just as it has a different effect on us humans. Some humans, depending on their amount of natural stamina, receive a gigantic boost from these normal soldier pills, like Naruto. Others who have a smaller range of stamina, such as you and me, receive a smaller amount of energy and chakra. With dogs it's a bit different. Dogs true abilities come out once they've taken a soldier pill, such as Akamaru who becomes more aggressive and changes his fur colour. Kaminari however…" he trailed off, eyeing the young, reckless pup with uncertainty.

"He has a very useful power, but he has yet to master it and show obedience to his masters. He gets really out of hand once he's in control and he has a tendency to…well…run amuck so to speak."

"So why does it make a difference if I'm here?" Sakura asked, referring to Kiba's previous comment. Kiba smiled mischievously and winked at her before kneeling down and holding the pill out to the dog.

"I may need you to heal me again," he answered, then turned his attention to the dog, "Ok girl, it's time to play fetch."

Kaminari gobbled the pill from Kiba's hand and began to shake as the pill took effect. Kiba quickly stood up and popped another pill into his own mouth before picking up a stick from the ground. He quickly carved a small marking on the one end, then glanced at Sakura and winked again.

"Watch this," he said, then shouted out loud: "Okay Kaminari, FETCH!"

He proceeded to throw the stick with a frightening force towards the village. It sailed over rooftops and Sakura watched it until it became a small spot on the horizon before disappearing from her sight entirely. The amazing strength was obviously an effect of the soldier pill Kiba had just taken. Sakura's eyes turned towards the puppy at their feet.

Kaminari was still shaking slightly with her head down when Sakura noticed the ground at the small dogs feet begin to sizzle slightly. The peachy markings on her feet grew red and hot and before Sakura could blink Kaminari had leapt forward and disappeared from sight.

Sakura gasped in shock as a sharp stinging met her eyes, and she threw her hands to her face, realizing that it was a large cloud of dust being left in Kaminari's wake. She squinted slightly, and as soon as the dust had settled she opened her eyes wide again, only to find Kaminari sitting at her feet once more, panting slightly, a large stick lying on the ground beside her. The entire thing had taken no less than five seconds.

"W-What?" Sakura stammered stupidly, staring at the pup with surprise, "She's back? _Already_?"

Kiba grinned in triumph, nodding with approval at the small pup.

"How do you know it's the right stick?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes.

Kiba bent down quickly and retrieved the stick, holding it out to Sakura in order to show her the marking he had made earlier.

"She never fails to bring back the right one," he said with pride, "Her ability is amazing!"

Sakura agreed silently with him. Kaminari was indeed gifted, and would certainly make a reliable partner for whomever she would be assigned to in the Inuzuka clan. Sakura then smiled slyly and looked at Kiba from the corner of her eye.

"This is why she's called 'Lightning', isn't it?" she asked and Kiba nodded again.

"We usually only name our pups once we've seen their abilities. Kaminari's are unreal though…" he trailed off as he watched the pup which was suddenly getting to her feet once more.

"So, why did you say it was better to have me here?" Sakura asked in curiosity as the small pup began to shake her head in frustration. Kiba grabbed Sakura's hand and started backing away.

"Well, she's alright when you're throwing things around for her, but she still hasn't been properly trained yet. I was put in charge of her training, but she's almost impossible to handle. The soldier pill has a lasting effect on her for up to two hours or so. She's very young and therefore she's very difficult to keep in control."

Akamaru started growling and fell into a defensive position, looking as though he was about to spring. Kiba popped another soldier pill into his mouth and tossed a radio communicator towards Sakura, who caught it in alarm.

"She usually goes rampant once she has the soldier pill in and is determined to use it all at once. We're gonna have to chase her; she's impossible to catch though. We kind of have to chase her until the pill wears off. That should be in the next…" He checked the position of the sun, "Ninety minutes. I have a sneaking suspicion that she'll come back here though, she seems to like you. Would you mind waiting here while we try chasing her down? I might need you to kiss…I mean, heal me again."

He winked at her again, and with that he sprang forward along with Akamaru into a cloud of dust as Kaminari did the same…straight for the village. Sakura watched as the three figures bounded down the mountain, the one in the lead almost invisible because of its speed and the other two trying desperately to keep up.

"You didn't give me much choice!" Sakura shouted after them, sitting down on the hard ground in a huff. She crossed her arms stubbornly and watched the figures disappear into the distance.

"Yahoo!" she heard Kiba's voice shout in excitement as he rushed after the puppy at twice his normal speed.

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The meal was over.

'_Finally!'_ Hinata thought in relief. She and Naruto had spent almost the entire meal in an awkward silence. The only words that broke the silence were "I'm sorry" and "Here you go" when she managed to drop her chopsticks on the floor due to nerves and frustration. Naruto had quickly grabbed a new pair and handed them to her, returning swiftly to his meal, his eyes never meeting hers.

Now that the distraction of the food had left them Hinata was determined to worm whatever Naruto had been about to say out of him in whatever way she could. The frustration she was experiencing seemed to draw a new determination and bravery from her, and she wasn't going to let this new feeling go to waste. She would show Naruto that even she could be brave and overcome her fears as well as he could.

'_Well…'_ she thought to herself, _'Maybe not as well as he can…'_ She still thought of Naruto as the bravest person she had ever known; she did not think that she would ever be able to compare with him.

As soon as the bill had been paid the two of them left the small restaurant and made their way along an uncharted path through the village. Hinata was sifting through many ways to lead Naruto back to their previous conversation, unaware that Naruto was doing the same.

'_Of all the luck!'_ he thought to himself, kicking a stone rather viciously out of his way, causing it to fly up and narrowly miss an elderly woman who was making her way down the road in front of them. She barely seemed to notice though, and Naruto sighed in short-lived relief, quickly shifting back into his previous mind set. _'I had just worked up enough guts to ask her…to ask Hinata-chan…'_

He had lost his nerve again. He couldn't even think the word to himself, it was far too embarrassing. He felt his face grow hot and he pulled at his collar once again, throwing a glance in Hinata's direction. Her face seemed wrought with concentration, and almost a slight irritation, and Naruto shrank away from her subconsciously.

'_Did she notice?'_ he wondered_, 'What if she noticed I was about to ask that…that the two of us…well, that I…would she be angry? If I asked her…if I told her…'_

His thoughts trailed off again and a nervous cough escaped his lips. Hinata looked over expectantly, hoping that he was about to bring the subject on himself, but he simply looked off in the other direction and continued their silent walk through the town. Hinata sighed again and went back to plotting ways to continue their previous conversation.

Just then a white shape bounded out from the alley the two were passing, maneuvering its way skillfully through Hinata's feet in mid-step. Hinata gasped in surprise and toppled backwards, away from the sudden obstruction at her feet. She fell into Naruto's outstretched arms and was immediately pulled closer to his chest, a defensive mechanism he was well accustomed to.

"You okay Hinata-chan?" he asked immediately, and Hinata nodded, trying to pull away from Naruto and right herself once more. Naruto clung on, however, and instead she turned her head in search of the animal which had caused her to trip. There was no sign of anything small and white in the surrounding area, and Hinata began to wonder what could have escaped so fast.

"Did you see that?" she asked Naruto, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and he gave a curt nod of his head, his eyes fixed on a point above Hinata's head. She turned her face to see a panting Kiba and Akamaru standing at the entrance to the alleyway, Kiba's hands upon his knees. Hinata turned her face back to Naruto's and found the look in his eyes to be rather frightening. Had something more happened between Kiba and Naruto since the last time she had seen them together?

"Damn it, which way did she go now Akamaru?" Kiba asked in agitation, and his canine companion turned his nose skywards in reply, sniffing the air tentatively.

"Kiba-kun?" he heard a small voice say to his left, and he turned at it, only to find Hinata in Naruto's arms, a look of surprise on her face and a defensive edge to Naruto's body language.

"Hinata?" he said, raising up to his full height and making his way slowly, yet confidently over to the pair, "What a coincidence! I was just thinking about you!" Kiba's eyes flickered over to Naruto, and he noticed that his grip on Hinata's shoulders had tightened slightly with Kiba's closeness.

"Naruto," Kiba acknowledged his presence half-heartedly, wishing he had run into Hinata by herself instead, "You should let Hinata go, you might be hurting her."

He noticed the grip slacken, but there was no indication that Naruto was willing to let Hinata go. Kiba reached out his hand and reached for one of Naruto's hands, intending to pry it from the girls shoulder, but Hinata's recoil from his touch caused him to pause in disbelief. Hinata flinched away from his outstretched hand, moving closer to Naruto and bringing her one hand up to touch the one on her shoulder.

When Kiba had reached out to her the sudden image of his actions the day before sprang back into Hinata's mind. He had that same look on his face as the day before; the look of hunger and uncharacteristic coldness that crossed his face whenever he was alone with her. Hinata had never noticed it before, but she could pick out all of the moments that she had seen that look cross her friends face, and all of them involved the two of them alone together. She recoiled into Naruto's chest, and Kiba paused, the look of hunger now being replaced by one of betrayal, and soon anger consumed his features.

"You!" he spat at Naruto, his eyes flicking from his face to Hinata's so fast that it was unable to catch. The soldier pill that he had consumed earlier took effect as anger washed through his body. Soon the nails on his fingers turned to claws and his canines turned to fangs as a red hot feeling surged behind his eyes, causing his brain to fog up and his will power to weaken.

"You!" he spat again, taking a step forward, "You did this! Didn't I warn you to stay away from her; to stay away from _my_ Hinata? Naruto…"

Naruto had known that a fight would happen the second he saw Kiba emerge from the shadows of the alley, and he let go of Hinata as soon as he noticed Kiba's transformation, pushing her behind him with quick, whispered instructions.

"Quick Hinata, get away from here, and find Sakura. This isn't going to be pretty. Kiba has been working himself up for this moment for a very long time. I won't be able to go easy on him."

"Naruto-kun-" Hinata started, but Naruto shushed her with a hand and pushed her back slightly, pleading with his eyes for her to go. She nodded her head once, taking note of his serious tone of voice and the stern look in his eyes, then turned around and began to run in the opposite direction. A sudden deep bark behind her caused her to stop and turn back once more though.

Akamaru was standing before Kiba, blocking Naruto from his view and he was trying his best to calm the angry boy down. Kiba stared up at his companion, the fire behind his lids cooling and turning his features back to normal at Akamaru's urgent yet comforting gaze. He gave another booming bark and Kiba straightened up, looking over his friends shoulder to glare at Naruto.

"You're right boy," he said, turning away, "Now's not the time to deal with him. We have to find Kaminari first."

Kiba began to walk slowly towards the centre of town, Akamaru following close behind, but he stopped and stared back at Naruto with one last threat upon his lips.

"We'll postpone this for later, Naruto, but I promise you that the next time we meet you won't get off so easily. And Hinata…" he added impulsively, "I'll see you sooner than you expect."

With that he leapt away, leaving Naruto in his defensive position in the middle of the busy town street, Hinata standing a few feet away, a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

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Please review!


	21. Chapter 21: Just wanna be with you

_Hey everyone, it's the long awaited chapter! Enjoy and please please review! I would like to know what you have to say about this chapter, and I think you will have plenty to rant about! He he ;-) _

_Enjoy! And thank you for the many reviews left for me for the last chapter. :-) you are all amazing!_

_LOtsa love,_

_IamMu-chan_

**Chapter Twenty One**

Just wanna be with you

Hinata stood frozen to the spot, watching as Naruto relaxed his shoulders slightly, allowing a long sigh to escape his lips. Hinata sighed as well before taking a step towards him once more. He turned to face her once she had reached his side, and instinctively wrapped his arms around her. She tensed slightly in surprise, but soon melted into his arms with a smile upon her face. Naruto always felt so warm and comforting; she didn't know how she had survived without his touch for so many long years.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, talking quietly into her ear. She shivered as his hot breath caressed her neck.

"Hmm?" she answered dreamily.

"Did something happen between you and Kiba?" he asked, and she pushed away from him quickly, surprised at the question.

"No! I mean…what do you mean by 'something'?"

"You know," he suggested nervously, "Like…do you like Kiba?"

"What? Of course I like Kiba Naruto-kun! He's my teammate, and we've become very good friends over the years…"

"No, no, I mean…do you _like_ Kiba?"

Hinata blushed at the thought of her liking Kiba in the way Naruto was suggesting, but quickly shook her head in response.

"No, I don't like him in_ that_ way Naruto-kun; Kiba will always only be my friend. At least, I hope so…"

"Has he been bothering you?" Naruto asked, quickly taking her around the waist again, pulling her closer. Hinata stammered slightly; she would never get over the fact that Naruto wanted to hold her in this way.

"U-um…" she considered, not wanting to get Kiba in trouble, but feeling obliged to answer Naruto nonetheless, "Yesterday, after you left he scared me a little…"

He narrowed his eyes, and Hinata could immediately feel his shoulders tense up again. She quickly avoided the subject to ask something she had been wondering as well.

"What about you Naruto-kun? Did something happen between you and Kiba since I last saw you yesterday?"

He nodded, gritting his teeth and setting his jaw firmly, his hands balling into fists and starting to shake. Hinata noticed, and immediately reacted, placing her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek to his.

"Please Naruto-kun, don't worry. Neji-nii-san stopped him before anything happened to me. And whatever happened between you two…please don't let Kiba mess with your emotions; he's only doing it because of jealousy. He's noticed that we've been spending a lot of time together, and he feels that it's a competition to win my affection. He just wants to hurt you Naruto-kun because-"

She took a deep breath, biting her tongue slightly. It was time to say it. Naruto had already admitted the night before that he liked her; he hadn't elaborated on it of course and she was therefore unsure of how deeply those words were meant. But she had to say it. Who knew when the next opportunity would come along?

"Because he knows how I feel about you…"

She felt Naruto grip her shoulders firmly, pushing her back so as to look at her face, a puzzled expression upon his features.

"What do you mean Hinata-chan?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata breathed, her heart thumping in her chest, "Last night you…you said you liked me, right?"

He nodded.

"In what way did you mean that exactly? Because Naruto-kun, I like you too…in a very different way to how I like Kiba. I like you in…in_ that_ way…"

Naruto's eyes sparkled as realization hit him. Hinata meant what she said; she wasn't just trying to cheer him up in the park yesterday, nor was she just spending time with him out of pity. She genuinely liked him, no, she _loved_ him! And he didn't just like her either…the feeling that had erupted in his chest yesterday had been building for weeks before that, and he felt like kicking himself for not realizing it sooner. He loved her…

Hinata waited for his answer to her question, her eyes on her toes and her hands fiddling with the end of her long ponytail. She was embarrassed beyond belief; she had just admitted her feelings to Naruto…she was now facing her biggest fear. Would Naruto return her feelings? Or had she just ruined all her chances of a strong friendship with him? If he didn't accept her feelings she wondered whether she would be able to bear it…to bear spending her life without Naruto by her side as either a lover or a friend. Why was he taking so long to answer? Why-?

"I love you Hinata-chan!"

Suddenly she was swept up off of her feet, her arms pinned to her sides by the embrace Naruto was enfolding her in. Wait? Had he said he loved her? Was it only her imagination or had it really happened?

"I love you, I love you Hinata-chan!"

It was real. All of a sudden her eyes were brimming with tears as she pressed her face into his neck with joy, taking in his smell, his warmth, his entire being.

"Oh Naruto-kun!" she sighed, tears spilling down her cheeks now, "I love you too! I always have, for all these years I have loved you!"

The two broke apart, Naruto still holding Hinata by her waist and Hinata unlocking her arms from his grip and placing her arms around his neck. Naruto lent forward, placing his forehead against Hinata's.

"I've been feeling something different about you for months now…I wasn't able to figure out what it was. I caught myself staring at you so often, and thinking about you when I was supposed to be concentrating; this feeling that I have for you Hinata-chan, can only be described as love. And yesterday at the park…something happened between you and me. We reached a point of change. And I've been trying to ask you all morning Hinata-chan, but I was too scared you'd laugh at me: I want to be with you. I want you to be mine. Hinata-chan…I want to love you, protect you and care for you for as long as I can; for as long as you'll want me, and beyond that even! Hinata-"

"Shhh…"

Hinata shushed him by placing a finger to his lips. Her heart was overflowing with happiness, and she was bursting with fresh confidence. All those years of fainting and stuttering seemed foolish to her now; this moment wiped all of her fear away, and she felt fully comfortable with Naruto now. There was no need for awkwardness and child-like fears. He loved her! And she loved him more than he'd ever known. She understood him entirely, and agreed with his request. She wanted to be with him as well. She wanted to love him, protect him and care for him for all of her life.

"I understand Naruto-kun. I want to be with you as well…for so long I've wanted just that. You've made me happier right now than what I've ever been before…you're my source of happiness Naruto-kun and I-"

This time she was silenced as Naruto drew her fingers away from his mouth and pressed his lips to them once more. He kissed each finger on her small, soft hand, and that blush that he so loved to see on her crept into her cheeks once more. He lowered her hand and placed it at his back, pulling her closer to him. He wanted to do it. He'd been dreaming about kissing the girl with silver eyes and strawberry scented lips for months now, and here she stood before him.

Hinata felt Naruto pull her closer, her hands automatically sliding around him to his back, her face upturned to those gorgeous baby-blue eyes that had ensnared her at first glance. She immediately knew what was on Naruto's mind, and she didn't mind in the faintest. The first words that rushed through her mind were '_Don't faint!_' as soon as she felt her cheeks begin to burn. He placed his hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer, and she was reminded of their dance the previous night which had forced her as close to his body as she was now. He then placed his other hand beneath her chin, gently tilting her face up to his. He smiled and she responded with a softened stare, her heart rate increasing by the second. He lowered his face slowly down to hers, and her eyes fluttered closed in anticipation. She could feel his warm breath upon her lips. He was no more than an inch away…

"Naruto!"

Naruto stopped short, straightening up in surprise at the voice that had interrupted them. Hinata's eyes snapped open and Naruto quickly let go of her, forcing her to step backwards to regain her balance; she had been standing on tiptoe in order to reach Naruto's lips sooner, and now she was back to her normal height, redder than ever.

The two of them turned their heads towards the voice that had stopped them, suddenly realizing that they were still in the middle of the busy street. They had been so immersed in the confession of their feelings that their surroundings seemed to drift away from the main focus of their affections. It hit Hinata full force now however, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. What would her father say if he found out that she had kissed a man in the middle of a busy street from one of the villagers? She wondered who could already have seen her and would be spreading the news.

But all of these thoughts were soon wisped out of her mind when she saw who had interrupted them. Lord Jiraiya, the toad sage, was sitting cross-legged at a nearby café, sipping a small glass of sake in the one hand, and a pen which was poised to a notebook in the other.

"Wait!" he shouted from across the street, causing passers-by to stare curiously, "On second thought, don't mind me! Carry on, carry on! This is great material for my next novel!"

"Ero-sennin!?" Naruto shouted, first in joy because of his teachers long absence, and then in annoyance as he remembered the interruption, "Ero-sennin! You idiotic old fool, why the hell did you do that?"

Hinata nodded her head in agreement, Naruto's annoyance quickly affecting her. Jiraiya's eyes motioned to the left of them, indicating a person standing at a stall a few feet away. Hinata noticed the person immediately; it was one of the maids that worked in the Hyuuga estate, and she would have been sure to inform her father about her actions as soon as she could. Hinata blushed red again, and then sighed in relief. It seems as though the interruption had been necessary after all; although it was terribly annoying.

"Jiraiya-sama, thank you!" Hinata said quickly, rushing over and bowing obediently before him, "You have saved me a great deal of trouble from my family."

Naruto wandered over feeling confused. What were they talking about? Hinata quickly filled him in on what would have happened if they had just kissed, and he immediately felt grateful to the perverted hermit as well.

"Thanks Ero-sennin!"

"Naruto, must you call me that name in public?" Jiraiya protested feebly.

"I'll call you what you are and you are Ero-sennin. End of story." Naruto said, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly. Jiraiya shook his head and turned back to Hinata instead.

"You are most welcome Hinata-san," he said in a sweet voice that immediately made Naruto suspicious, "I wouldn't want you to be getting in trouble because of this oaf of a ninja, now would I?"

"Ero-sennin," Naruto interjected as Jiraiya took Hinata's hand in his, intending to kiss it lightly, "I know what you are thinking, and don't you even begin to consider it! Hinata is my girlfriend, she is not a new research project, you got that?"

Hinata's heart jumped at Naruto's use of the word 'girlfriend', and she wrapped her arms around him before she had even realized what she was doing.

"I would never do that Naruto; the young and innocent relationships don't interest me at all! Although…" he eyes Hinata dangerously, "It does seem to be getting a bit hot on your end…"

Naruto felt the fire jump into his cheeks as he flinched away from Jiraiya, pulling Hinata's arms from around him and forcing her to his side, where he wrapped an arm around her shoulders instead. Jiraiya eyes him this time, from top till bottom, his eyes lingering too long on a point low below his belly button.

"Very hot I see…"

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto whined in embarrassment as Hinata giggled. She knew exactly what Jiraiya was referring to; it seemed she was not the only one who felt attraction in the relationship she now shared with Naruto. He seemed very interested himself.

"Let's get out of here Hinata-chan, before this pervert starts asking any embarrassing questions."

"Wait Naruto, there's a reason for my being here you know? I was looking for you. The Hokage has requested you meet with her urgently. It's about your new mission." Jiraiya said, draining the last of his sake and standing up.

"You have a mission Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, slightly disappointed. She had finally gotten him to herself, and now he would have to leave before they could really start their new relationship.

"Na, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, waving a hand casually, "It's just discussing tactics for this and that, nothing is set in stone just yet."

"Oh, alright," she said, her spirits lifting again, "Then I'll see you later?"

"Of course Hinata-chan!" Naruto said with a wink, "I'll come by your house once I'm done, okay?"

"Okay!" she agreed excitedly, then quickly stood up on her tiptoes and gave her new boyfriend a peck on the cheek, "I'll see you later!"

With that Hinata ran off in the direction the had come from, determined to get back home and tell her sister the good news about her and Naruto. Naruto watched her go, raising a hand up to tough the warm area on his cheek where her lips had been only a moment before.

"Come on Naruto," he heard Jiraiya say, "As much as I am proud of you for finally becoming a worthy student of mine we must get to the Hokage immediately."

"What do you mean by me finally becoming 'a worthy student'? Naruto asked, watching Hinata's ponytail whip around the corner.

"Naruto, I honestly thought you'd never catch on to that girl's feelings for you. I began to think you were a complete lost cause in the field of romance!"

"Wait! You knew? You knew Hinata-chan liked me?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

Jiraiya laughed boisterously, causing the people in the small café to look up from their meals.

"Naruto!_ Everyone_ knew!"

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_Silly Naruto...press the button!_


	22. Chapter 22: Hiashi's Hidden Love

_Hello everybody!_

_Man, but has it been busy lately, I'm amazed I actually found time to write! Sorry for the neglect everyone, but it has been seriously hectic on my end, but I do hope the new chapter makes up for it. :-) _

_Please Enjoy!_

_Hold thumbs that the new chapter will come soon, and don't forget to review! Lotsa love!_

_IamMu-chan_

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Hiashi's hidden love

"You will join me for a training session, Hinata." Hiashi calmly stated as his daughter rushed past the open door of his study. She stopped at the sound of his voice and soon poked her head into the doorway in surprise.

"Father?"

"Go and get ready immediately Hinata. There is something I wish to teach you that will be useful to you in the future. I will wait for you in the dojo."

"A-alright…" Hinata muttered, bowing slightly and making her way towards the stairs.

She stood waiting in the dojo ten minutes later, dressed in her usual ninja garb. She was rather sad to have abandoned the dress; she liked the feeling of the material around her legs and how it swayed with her body as she moved. Her new look also seemed to impress Naruto, and she thought back fondly on being so close yet so far from his lips. Her thoughts were brought back to the present, however, as her father entered the dojo.

Her father had abandoned her training when she was still at a young age, and was convinced that she was unfit to receive training from the head of the Hyuuga clan. Hinata had instead been trained by her sensei, Kurenai, and had slowly grown into her Hyuuga abilities, though her self-confidence was unable to distinguish itself. Her constant fear of failure and of her father's disappointment kept Hinata humble and afraid of developing her skill.

After Neji had been accepted as a resident of the main branch of the household, he and Hinata had begun to train together; Neji was trained by Hinata's father, and the knowledge he gained from him was passed down to her in small doses by her cousin. After Naruto had talked some sense into her cousin, she and Neji got along surprisingly well, and training with him as well as her teammates resulted in a dramatic escalation of her skills. Her father had praised her hard work, but still showed little interest in training her further; therefore the unexpected invitation caught Hinata completely off guard. She had no idea what to expect.

"Thank you, Hinata, for agreeing so readily to train with me," her father said as he entered and Hinata bowed silently in response, feeling nervous.

"What I am about to teach you will give you great advantage over your future opponents… and it was a technique which enabled your mother to save your life."

Hinata stopped midway while rising from her bow, and turned her eyes up to her father in shock.

"W-What?" she blurted out, forgetting all formality, "What did you say?"

Her father nodded slowly, an expression that Hinata had never seen on her father before crossing his face.

"Sit Hinata," he motioned to the mats lined up at the sides of the dojo, and Hinata noticed for the first time that two elaborate and highly comfortable cushions had been placed on the floor. She headed towards the smaller of the two, a royal purple in colour, and placed herself down slowly yet alertly. Her father joined her, sitting across from her on a deep red cushion, a colour that her father had grown fond of when decorating. The heavy red curtains and stuffiness of his office felt separate from the rest of the world Hinata was used to, and hinted at foreign destinations her father must have visited on the missions of his earlier days.

"Now," her father sighed as he lowered himself onto his cushion, crossing his legs elegantly and placing his hands in his lap. Hinata quickly followed suit, placing her hands in her lap as her father did, but twirling her fingers nervously around each other in her nervousness.

"Hinata," Hiashi continued, noticing his daughters fidgeting but deciding to overlook it for now, "I need you to think back on what triggered your…vision yesterday afternoon. Neji informs me that you two had trained rather heavily. Perhaps a mixture of exhaustion and adrenalin triggered it? No…perhaps a reminder of something, or a symbol of some sort?" he trailed off into thought, running through his separate theories. After a while his attention seemed to snap back onto his daughter who had not moved a muscle due to the urgency in his voice.

"I want you to think back to your precise thoughts, Hinata. Leave nothing out, no matter how insignificant it may be. Tell me everything that you can remember!" he urged her.

Hinata nodded despite her growing doubt in herself. She had been unable to remember anything about the incident this morning, and she doubted whether she would be able to remember anything about it at this moment. Not only that, but the fact that she had to tell her father every single thought that was running through her head at that moment was terrifying. What if she had been thinking something extremely private? What if Naruto had crossed her mind at some stage before the 'vision' had occurred? Naruto…

Her mind all of a sudden flashed back to earlier that day, no more than an hour ago when she had felt her love's hot breath upon her lips, the urgent tightening of his grip around her waist and her own body trembling in response to his touch. She immediately felt the blush creep into her cheeks, and she hid her face behind the curtain of her long black hair in order to escape her father's questioning gaze. She felt light headed all of a sudden, and she swayed slightly.

"Are you alright Hinata?" he asked, and she snapped back to the present, nodding slowly in reply.

"I'm simply concentrating father," she added in order to emphasize her point.

"Take all the time you need my dear."

Now that she knew her father was expecting a result from her Hinata's feeling of unease grew stronger. What was she supposed to do? She tried to think back on her training session with Neji yesterday, but her thoughts were a torrent of confusion and doubt, making it difficult. Instead her mind strayed back to Naruto, focusing on the feeling of being in his arms, looking up into his baby-blue eyes and blood-spattered face…

"What?" she said out loud, causing her father to stare at her intently again; Hinata ignored him and focused on the image that had just appeared in her thoughts. She thought back to this morning, when Naruto had held her and she had looked up at him, and she could clearly see his beautiful face staring back at her. But as her thoughts drifted to the glaring sun which had been shining behind him his face became blood-spattered and the sky behind him turned an eerie red. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the horrid thought, but now that she had grasped it, it wouldn't leave her mind.

"Hinata?" her father asked and she ignored him once again, trying to figure out what had brought on that memory. She knew instantly that it was from her vision, and she tried her best to remember the rest of it…to no avail. She accepted that it would be impossible for her to remember the entire thing at once, so she moved on to her next troubling thought. What had caused the vision?

She remembered now that she and Neji had discussed the incident between her, Kiba and Naruto after their training session, and she had dwelled on the thought of her and Naruto coming closer together. In her sub-conscious she had imagined a life for her and Naruto, and the thought had filled her with such powerful emotion that she could barely have breathed. All of these thoughts had flitted through her mind while she had been staring at the sunset before her, triggering the vision which was ultimately linked to the colour of the sky and the events that would take place beneath it.

This realization took no more than a few seconds to race through Hinata's mind, and her father waited patiently for his daughter, despite her slight display of disrespect by ignoring him. He understood that this was difficult for her, and he wanted to help her as best he could. He planned to make up for all those years of neglect through this one small act. This was also all that he could do to make up for the disregard of his wife's dying wish.

Hinata sat in thought a few minutes more. Was Naruto the key to her visions? Or rather, were the strong emotions she felt for him the key? If so, then why had she never experienced this before? She had always loved Naruto, so what had changed so drastically that it was able to trigger her ability to see into the future? She chose this moment to peek up at her father through her curtain of hair and then decided to ask him something of importance.

"Father?" she started, showing him that she was ready to speak, "May I ask you something?"

Hiashi nodded silently, curious as to what his daughter wanted to know.

"These visions," she continued, "Is this the first time that I've shown to possess this ability, or has it happened before? Perhaps before I could remember?"

Hinata's father was silent for a long while after she had asked her question. His eyes closed, as if in pain, and didn't open for several minutes. Hinata waited patiently, but the wild thumping of her heart was impossible to miss, and Hiashi could easily tell that she was anxiously awaiting his answer.

"Once," he finally muttered, forcing Hinata to lean in towards her father in order to hear what he wanted to say, "Once when you were about six years old you had a vision. Your mother and I had come to pick you up after your first day at the academy. You were outside, standing beside the old oak tree just outside the academy doors. There were other children there, some playing, and one sitting on the swing only a few feet away from you. Your mother called out your name and you jumped in surprise, almost as if you had been in some sort of trance before we arrived. Suddenly you were red in the face and your eyes began flicking from side to side; to the children playing at the other end of the tree to your mother and me, and all of a sudden…you collapsed."

Hiashi spoke quietly, his voice filled with so much emotion that Hinata couldn't help but lean in even closer to her father; a sudden urge to comfort him overcame her, but she reined it in as he continued his story.

"Your mother immediately recognized the symptoms, of course, and she rushed to scoop you up and take you home. Once there, she used her fully developed abilities to delve into your subconscious and to find the vision you had most certainly had. She confirmed that you had experienced not one, but two visions that day, but she refused to tell me of them. I tried everything to get her to tell me, but she was stubborn, and you had no memory of it. She became so cold, so distant after that, and I couldn't understand why. She began making preparations behind my back for all sorts of things; scrolls filled with teaching instructions for you and numerous other things that I wasn't capable of doing on my own.

"Soon after Hinabi was born your mother went out for a walk in the grounds one night, despite the threat of rain on the horizon. You were still oblivious to your powers and the vision you had had that day, but your mother knew exactly what was to come…"

Hiashi broke off here, his perfect façade of calmness and authority slipping as his face crumpled in grief and pain at the memories he was forced to relive. Hinata had no idea what to do, and her hands fluttered helplessly over her father's arms, wondering whether it would be appropriate for her to comfort him.

"S-she knew that they were out there, but she still went, in order to protect you. Foreign ninja's, with the intention of holding you ransom, killed your mother, broke into your bedroom and ran off with you. She tried her best to defend you, but they overpowered her. Three to one they took her out while the fourth made off with you. Luckily, your uncle, Neji's father, stopped them. I imagine that she had not foreseen that and that was why she tried to save you in the first place. I found her, dying, while your uncle went to rescue you. I couldn't leave her side, not even for my own daughter's sake. She spoke to me though… 'I love you,' she said to me, 'Take care of Hinata. Teach her and love her as I know you will…' And then she died in my arms…"

It was the longest speech her father had ever given in her presence, and Hinata felt a great deal of pity and love for him at the moment that his voice faded and he was overcome with silent pain. Her helpless fluttering turned into pure love as she placed her hands on her father's shoulders and pulled herself into his lap. He stiffened slightly at the gesture, but as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug he followed suit, crushing her against his chest.

"I didn't fulfill her dying wish, Hinata," he said in shame, "I've shown you very little kindness, and have refused to teach you anything since your mother's death. I used your weakness as an excuse for you not to be awarded the title of clan head, but in the end it was I who stopped you from attaining it by not encouraging you enough. With your developing strength and skills, however, I realized that it is perhaps time for me to do what your mother asked of me. I know that I have never shown you much love, but I'm willing to start trying. I know you must be nervous and scared around me after all these years, but I wish to remedy that Hinata. I will start by teaching you how to control your power."

Hinata raised her head from her father's chest, feeling slightly out of place once again, and she nodded slightly trying to get used the feel of her father's big, strong arms around her. Hinata had never hated her father; she feared him greatly, of course, but she didn't hate him. It was true that he did very little to encourage her in her quest to become a ninja, and it was also true that he almost never showed her love, but Hinata loved her father nonetheless. It was his disapproval which had driven her to prove herself to those around her, and she would always be grateful to him for that. They had never had much physical contact after her mother's death; therefore the warmth that surrounded her now was strange and foreign. Nonetheless, it was her father and she loved him despite everything he'd put her through. She hugged herself close to him once more before wriggling out of his lap and sitting down across from him once again.

"Thank you Hinata," her father said, straightening up to his normal, superior position and smiling down at her. This was also another new experience for Hinata.

"Now tell me why you asked whether you had experienced your visions before?" he asked, back to business.

Hinata paused before answering her father, re-evaluating her decision and deciding to push through with it after all.

"In order to find out what might be causing my visions…" she muttered, "I think I've discovered the link by hearing the description of my very first vision from you father."

Her father closed his eyes and smiled slightly, impressed by his daughters obvious skill of piecing facts together. He had no idea what she might have gathered from his tale, and he was curious to hear the result.

Hinata had realized immediately what the key to her visions were as soon as her father described the scene around her when she had experienced her very first vision. The boy sitting on the swing…that had been Naruto, and she had been hiding from him all day after seeing him only once that morning. His spiky blonde locks, his curious blue eyes and his mischievous lop-sided grin had caught her attention almost at once, and the responding jolt in her stomach and the warmth that sprang to her cheeks was astounding to her six year old body.

When her parents had caught her staring at him from behind the tree that day she felt like dying in embarrassment…and the look on her mother's face, slightly amused yet concerned at the same time, triggered a new feeling within her which was very different from that which she had felt that morning. That must have been when she had collapsed and experienced her first vision.

Suddenly, now she knew what to look for, the vision she had had that day returned to her in small snippets. The expression on her mother's face in the playground that day matched the look she wore on her face as she faced the first of her daughter's kidnappers. She must have been amused at his attempt to overpower her by herself, but her amusement quickly turned to doubt when three more men emerged from the shadows. She fought as hard as she could, but she was distracted when one tried to make her way past her, and in her effort to stop him she was struck from behind.

Hinata winced slightly and dropped her face into her hands as she witnessed her mother's last moments through her fuzzy memory. She swallowed, stifling a sob, and straightened up again with a deep breath. She could mourn on that later; she had already mourned for her mother countless nights when she was younger, and now was not the time to think on that, especially not in front of her father who felt the sense of loss even worse than she did. She had to focus her thoughts once more in order to give her father an answer.

"I believe," she began, speaking slowly and choosing her words carefully, "That a strong surge of emotion, such as adrenalin or…or intense embarrassment coupled with a symbol of some sort…something relevant to the future…that is what triggers my visions father."

Personally she thought other emotions, such as intense admiration and love, would also be able to affect her. She thought back on her slight swaying and disorientation that she had felt when thinking back on Naruto's almost-kiss, and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks once more. She was certain that he was perhaps the key to her visions…he was key to every other aspect of her life; her world revolved around him, and he had awakened this amazing power within her.

"Well done Hinata," her father praised her, and she unwillingly pulled herself, once more, back to the current situation, "You did a good job of discovering the cause. Not many people with this ability are able to do so. It took your mother years to realize what triggered hers…" he trailed off into thought and cleared his throat slightly. He was obviously recalling an interesting memory.

"Well, this makes things a lot easier. From here on out we can progress! Hinata, it's time you learnt to control this power, and the sooner the better!" Hiashi exclaimed, getting to his feet and motioning for Hinata to do the same.

As she clumsily got up, stretching the pins and needles out of her feet, her father watched her carefully. If what the Hokage had informed him of this morning were true, then the sooner he taught Hinata to perfect her ability the better. She was the clan heir, after all, and he wouldn't allow anything to jeopardize his daughter's future any further. Nothing at all…

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Please review. :-) Thank You.


	23. Chapter 23:The good and the bad news

_Hello all, I'm back!_

_I know it's been a rather long absence, but I have been terribly busy with university and other activities on my end._

_But end-of-year exams have come around again, which is when I'm usually at my most inspired, so you can expect alot more updates from me from now on. ;-)_

_Please feel free to invote me on Twitter or Facebook if you have any questions or wanna find out about my progress with the story, you will find all the info in my profile._

_Thank you so much for your support and please feel free to review! It would be much appreciated. ;-)_

_Nix_

**Chapter Twenty Three**

The good and the bad news

"So, what exactly about my mission does the Hokage want to see me about Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked as they made their way over the rooftops of Konoha, emphasizing the urge at which the Hokage wanted to see them.

"If I knew that I'd tell you myself kid," Jiraiya stated seriously, his eyes focused on the growing tower before them.

"She gave me a summoning scroll that I was supposed to open at sunset, why couldn't she have sent me a message through whoever would pop up then?"

"It's obviously something urgent then," Jiraiya muttered, increasing his pace. Naruto did the same in order to keep up, and soon they were standing at the entrance to the Hokage Tower. They entered slowly, keeping to a brisk walk until they reached the Hokage's office door.

Along the way Naruto noticed that there were more ANBU than usual lurking in the hallways; in fact, the one's that often hid their presence from visitors to the tower weren't even bothering to contain their chakra. They were making their way through the hallways, rushing from office to office, carrying research scrolls and maps. The Hokage obviously had them doing her bidding for a very important task.

When Naruto and his sensei reached Tsunade's office door it was standing wide open, and at first seemed empty. The Hokage was not seated at her desk as was custom, but was instead conversing urgently with another masked ANBU member at the window to their left. The ANBU inclined his head in their direction when they entered the office, and Tsunade nodded, turning to face them. The ANBU remained perched on the roof outside the window.

"Thank you for bringing Naruto along so speedily Jiraiya," Tsunade said, making her way over to her cluttered desk and sitting behind it once more, "It was much faster than I expected. Was he easy to find then?"

Jiraiya nodded, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, "Difficult to miss! Was standing in the middle of the street, busy making his sensei proud! He and that Hyuuga girl-"

Jiraiya was cut off at this point by Naruto's fist in his mouth. The toad sage was forced to the floor, skidding back a few feet and bumping his head only slightly against the wall beneath the window where the ANBU member perched. The masked figure flinched slightly at the sudden attack, his hands flying into a protective seal, but he soon dropped them when he realized Naruto meant no real harm. Tsunade didn't flinch, but instead turned her gaze towards Naruto as if nothing had happened.

"Naruto, we have a new twist in the mission that we discussed yesterday," she started, folding her hands beneath her chin, "It seems that this Lord Tsibiki is more of a serious threat than we realized. He has started a dangerous game with the ninja villages around the globe, and I'm not sure whether he will be successful or not. That all depends on these 'weapons' he will be sending our way."

"Weapons?" Naruto asked, confused. Tsunade dropped her eyes to a half opened scroll at the head of her desk, and nodded her head, indicating Naruto to read it. Naruto picked it up and unrolled it, just as Jiraiya raised himself from the floor and peeked over his shoulder.

"You know kid, that was really unnecessary," Jiraiya pressed.

"Shh!" Naruto instructed, bringing his free hand up and forming a fist once more. Jiraiya fell silent and proceeded to read over his students shoulder.

_Dearest Hokage,_

_Thank you for your speedy response to my last letter; it appears that many of the other villages share your sentiments on my invitation, and I cannot accept this. Therefore, I will be sending a specific individual to each village in order to retrieve the head clan's eldest child and send them my way._

_Although this may seem trivial to you, I guarantee you that these individuals are more than capable of persuading you and your village to participate. I offered you the chance to accept my invitation graciously, and you have disappointed me. _

_Each of these individuals posses a particular weapon that could result in the destruction of your village; so I implore you – do not resist. You can expect their arrival within the required travel time from the heart of the Fire Country…that means soon for you, dear Hokage._

_Kindest regards,_

_Lord Tsibiki _

Naruto skimmed through the letter once, and then read it more seriously a second time. He didn't understand what the fuss was all about; this "Lord Tsibiki" was only sending one ninja to the village. What was the big deal over only one ninja? He was sure one ninja would not be able to overpower an entire ninja village. The letter was snatched from his hand by Jiraiya, who scanned the page so fast that his eyes appeared to be nothing but a blur.

"This is bad…" he muttered, moving hastily towards Tsunade's desk and slamming it down on the sturdy wood, "If Orochimaru is behind this-?"

'Orochimaru?' Naruto thought to himself. Of course, he hadn't considered the Hokage's suggestion that Orochimaru was perhaps behind this so-called "competition". That made things a whole lot more serious. And he was sending specific individuals? Could that mean?

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, leaning forward, "If Orochimaru is behind this he could be sending Sasuke!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade turned towards him in surprise, their faces falling into identical looks of admiration for the boy before them. Naruto had been chasing down Sasuke for the last four years, and he had never once wavered in his desire to find his friend.

"It's possible," Tsunade said sympathetically, "But we cannot count on it. I believe that if Orochimaru is indeed behind this he would like to keep Sasuke as close to his side as possible. No, I think that Orochimaru would send someone a lot more formidable to the village, especially if he's only sending one ninja. We can expect something a lot more formidable than Sasuke."

"But Sasuke's grown stronger!" Naruto exclaimed, "You didn't see him when we found him last year! He was so much stronger than me, Sai…even Yamato-sensei! Maybe he's grown even stronger, and now Orochimaru is sending him to –"

"That's enough Naruto," Jiraiya said sternly, cutting Naruto off and causing him to fall silent.

"I understand that you're excited about this Naruto," Tsunade pointed out, standing up and making her way around the desk towards him, "But you have to stay focused on the mission at hand."

She placed her hands on his shoulders staring him straight in the eye.

"Your biggest concern right now is Hinata and her safety. This Lord Tsibiki, or Orochimaru most likely, is sending someone for her, and you need to make sure that you remain at her side at all costs during the rest of the day. We are expecting this visitor sometime tonight or in the early hours of the morning, and you have to be prepared to protect her and keep her safe from this enemy. The village will be assisting as much as possible, but it is your duty to keep her as safe as possible Naruto. If it comes to her being taken, you need to follow or at least be taken with her. We cannot afford to lose her Naruto, and I believe that you are the best ninja for the job."

Jiraiya had edged closer through Tsunade's speech, and was now standing alongside her, grinning down at Naruto as she praised him. Tsunade had a triumphant, confident smile on her face, and Naruto couldn't help but feel flattered by the praise they were giving him, nor by the responsibility that they were placing on his shoulders.

"Hinata is strong as well," he said suddenly, "I will help as much as I can, of course, but she's not the type of girl who will cower behind me and expect me to do all the fighting. She'll want to join in, and will be able to fend for herself pretty well."

"I know that," Tsunade said, her smile growing wider, "Please don't think that I doubt Hinata's abilities in the slightest; she is a most competent ninja. But, she will need someone to watch her back. I could take anyone from this village of an even higher rank than you Naruto, but I believe that you will give your life for Hinata without a second thought. I have no doubt that you will protect her with everything you have. And that's why I've chosen you."

Once again Naruto felt overwhelmed with the Hokage's praise, and he nodded slowly, swallowing back his sudden anxiety that forced a swarm of questions to the tip of his tongue.

"I won't let you down, Hokage-sama," Naruto said confidently instead, and Tsunade nodded her head.

"I didn't think you would. Now, that scroll I gave you yesterday, I need you to keep it on you at all times. There will be no need to open it tonight as originally planned, but I need you to keep it on you in case of emergency. If you encounter anything that you'll need help with just open the scroll and the help you require will come your way.

"And most importantly this must be kept silent from Hinata. We must not alarm her with what is taking place. She must remain oblivious for as long as possible."

"But wouldn't it be safer for her if she knows what's going on?" Naruto objected, backing away from Tsunade's grip on his shoulders. Her arms fell to her sides and automatically folded across her chest; this was the pose she held when dealing with a stubborn ninja such as Naruto.

"I mean," Naruto carried on calmly, "It would be better for her id\f she realizes she were the target and then she could hide herself and…keep out of the way…"

Even to Naruto his speech seemed feeble.

Tsunade gave a soft sigh, unfolding her arms and holding them out in a questioning manner.

"Naruto, if you knew you were the reason other people were fighting and risking their lives for would you just go hide and expect them to fight for you? No, you would not. You are a stubborn ninja and would insist on fighting for yourself, and I believe Hinata is no different. She wouldn't want others risking their lives for her, and she would give herself up willingly if it meant saving them. She is a selfless person, and I need you to talk sense into her when she finally does realize what is going on. No, its best if she remains oblivious for now. When the time is right you can tell her Naruto, unless she discovers it herself. For now, she remains in the dark."

Naruto nodded again, and the Hokage smiled at him with a tilt of her head before sweeping around her desk once more and settling down in her seat with a sigh.

"I'll be honest with you Naruto…I don't like placing the youth of this village in danger. But I know that all of you are more than capable of taking care of yourselves…and that puts my soul at ease. But I'm starting to feel the side-effects of this position I'm in…"

Naruto glanced over at Jiraiya with a puzzled expression on his face. He had never seen Tsunade look so…_old _before. She had the tips of her fingers pressed to her temples, and he noticed the faint trace of wrinkles begin to trace her features. He kept quiet obediently, standing with his hands behind his back as he waited for the Hokage to finish.

"I'm sure you've noticed, Naruto, Jiraiya…the technique that enables me to look young is beginning to wear off…along with my chakra control. I'm getting old, and my job is starting to take its effect on me."

She looked up all of a sudden, a furious glint in her eye.

"And this damn Orochimaru is not making things any easier for me!"

She sighed then, and dropped her eyes onto Naruto's confused, concerned face.

"I will probably only remain Hokage for a few more years, Naruto, and then it will be time for me to choose a successor. If I had it my way I'd leave my position almost immediately. But the person I have in mind for the position of seventh Hokage isn't nearly ready yet. He needs a lot more training and guidance before he can claim this seat."

She chuckled to herself, obviously remembering something that the two of them could not guess.

"Jiraiya," she suddenly said, her eyes moving to his face now, "I need you to rain Naruto even more ferociously than usual if he is to be ready."

"Ready?" Naruto wondered aloud, "Ready for what?"

Tsunade and Jiraiya both turned to him, warm, loving smiles plastered over their faces.

"For the position of seventh Hokage, of course," Tsunade stated.

Naruto froze, his eyes lighting up with realization. He was being considered for the position of the next Hokage? Before the two Sannin could even flinch Naruto had flung himself over Tsunade's desk and had wrapped her in a hug so tight that the breath was knocked straight out of the sixth Hokage.

"Thank you Baa-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, allowing the nickname he had honed for her throughout his childhood to slip through his teeth.

Tsunade chuckled, wrapping her arms around the young boy and squeezing him even tighter.

"I guess I can't reprimand you for using that name around me anymore," she said affectionately, "Since it's becoming more relevant every day."

Naruto let go of her and clambered over the desk once more, taking his place next to his sensei, staring guiltily at the mess he left behind him. Tsunade waved her hand absent mindedly as she saw his eyes stray towards it, and he relaxed.

"Before we celebrate properly Naruto," Tsunade started, "There is a much more pressing matter that we need to resolve."

Naruto looked at her with curiosity as she vaguely explained what she meant.

"Considering the fact that you need to remain near Hinata at all times for the remainder of the day," Tsunade explained, glancing over at Jiraiya who had a mischievous grin plastered over his face, "I believe you have a dinner date with the Hyuuga's tonight…"

-----------------

"Ha!" Hinata shouted as she lunged forward, her palm raised outward towards her father who was waiting patiently for her attack.

"Very good Hinata!" he stated as she came at him at a speed he was not accustomed to from his daughter. She thrust her palms forward, aiming straight for his less-vital organs, and he dodged her attack easily, but she surprised him by swinging her body around and striking him in the back instead. He felt his chakra vessels protest at the attack as they shut down, and he soon lost all the feeling in his body as a result of the damage to his spine. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, but his daughter was at his side almost immediately, supporting his weight.

"I'm sorry! Father, I didn't mean to hurt you so badly…"

"No, well done Hinata!" Hiashi praised his daughter once again, "This is simply a temporary weakness, and I'll be on my feet soon again. You have improved! I'm surprised at how much. Neji mentioned to me that you were perfecting your ability, but I had no idea! You have indeed exceeded my expectations!"

Hinata blushed slightly and mumbled a grateful thank you to her father, helping him up and walking him over to the side of the dojo. There she placed him down on one of the cushions on the floor where he settled down with a grateful sigh.

"Well," he started once his daughter had taken her place across from him, "Since your battle abilities are more than adequate we can jump straight into the training of your foresight ability."

Hinata nodded firmly, an anxious bubbling starting in the pit of her stomach. She was ready to learn about her newly acquired technique, but she couldn't help but feel a little scared about what she would see when she began to perfect it. The image of Naruto's blood stained face was a constant reminder of what may come of the future, and it frightened her. She still could not remember the entire vision she had had the day before, but she knew that the ending was not pleasant. No matter what, she would try to avoid that aspect of the future happening at all costs.

Hiashi placed his hand underneath the cushion he was seated on and pulled out a small, yet thick scroll that had a strange, feminine handwriting on the rim of it. Hinata stared at it curiously as she watched her father caress it from the one end to the other, turning his attention to Hinata at last.

"This is one of the scrolls that your mother prepared for you," he said, handing the scroll to Hinata who took it carefully from his hands and placed it in her lap.

"I've never opened it," he added, "It's addressed to you, so it wouldn't have been right for me to delve into it. The other scrolls had both our names on them, and therefore I was able to acquaint myself with your and your mother's technique so that I can teach you. But this one was specifically meant for your eyes only.

Hinata turned her surprised face to the scroll, running her hands over the old parchment it consisted of, and fiddling with the blue ribbon it was fastened with.

"You can read it now, if you like, but I would much prefer it if we could start on your training as soon as possible." Hiashi said, observing his daughters reaction very carefully.

Hinata forced the sudden wetness of her eyes back, and nodded her head slowly, rubbing the back of her hand over her eyes and smiling up at her father.

"I'll read it later Father, don't worry. We can start."

Hiashi nodded and launched immediately into the understanding that he could gather from her mother's notes and his own experience with the ability. Hinata listened intently, absorbing as much information as she could before trying it herself. They were interrupted by a light knock at the entrance of the dojo.

"Enter," Hiashi said, breaking off in the middle of his explanation.

"Father? Onee-san?" Hinata heard as her sister slid the door open, peeking in curiously at the two of them seated at the other end of the room.

"Ah, Hinabi!" Hiashi exclaimed as he rose to his feet, "Has our guest arrived then?" he added, in a slightly sour tone.

Hinabi nodded, and the two girls' father sighed.

"I'll be right back Hinata," he said, turning to his oldest daughter, "Don't be alarmed, we have a guest over for the day…the Hokage will be joining him later for dinner. I first need to speak with him before we carry on."

"The Hokage?" Hinata questioned, suddenly nervous. Her family had only had the Hokage over on two occasions before, both concerning events centered on her and Hinabi; Hinata had turned sixteen earlier that year, and she had been surprised at the Hokage's arrival. It was expected though, considering that the re-election of future clan head had been made that night, and Hinata had been delivered the honour of taking over the clan as it was originally supposed to be. The other occasion had involved her sister passing the academy exam and claiming Genin status. Even that had been a quick visit in which she congratulated the family and Hinabi herself. Therefore she was surprised that the Hokage would be joining them for supper tonight, when there was no obvious reason for it.

Her father gave a curt nod before exiting the building, leaving his youngest daughter standing in the doorway. She quickly shut the door however and skipped over to Hinata with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Who is father talking to outside, Hinabi-chan?" Hinata questioned, as her sister took a seat on their father's vacant cushion and folded her legs over one another.

"Hmm…I wonder…" she said in a voice she often adapted when teasing Hinata. She swayed back and forth looking up at the ceiling with her lips pursed, a smile still pulling at the corners of her mouth. Hinata sighed.

"Please tell me Hinabi-chan…" she pressed on, crawling forwards towards her sister, who looked down at her in surprise, "Pretty please?"

Her sister giggled and stopped swaying, but still shook her head nonetheless.

"Na-ah, you'll see for yourself soon enough!" she exclaimed, winking at her sister. At this point Hinata was dying of curiosity.

"Come on, tell me!" she asked desperately, but her sister continued to shake her head and giggle slightly.

"Fine then," Hinata said slyly, "It seems I'll just have to force it out of you!"

Hinabi gasped suddenly as Hinata leaped at her, pining her on her back and proceeding to tickle her all over.

"No no no!" he sister squealed, trying to throw Hinata off, but to no avail. They stopped all of a sudden as they heard the door of the dojo slide open once more.

The two of them looked around slowly, knowing that their father would be standing in the doorway with a look of disapproval on his face due to their actions. They were surprised, however, to see a look of amusement caress his features as he saw his two daughters pause in their tickling match on the floor, but the surprise of her fathers expression was not nearly as effective as the shock Hinata felt when she saw who was standing behind him, peeking curiously over his shoulder with a wide grin on his face.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata squeaked in surprise, and Naruto's grin grew wider at the obvious blush that sprang to her face. He winked and put a finger to his lips, indicating to her that what had happened earlier that day would remain a secret for now. Hinata gave a small nod, quickly getting up off her sister, dusting herself off and pulling her sister to her feet.

"What a pleasant surprise!" Hinata said in the formal façade she often put on around guests.

"Yes, it is," Naruto agreed, hiding a smile. Hinabi cleared her throat slightly and smiled up at her sister. Hinabi knew all about Hinata's crush on Naruto, and was obviously taking great pleasure in her sister's discomfort. She had no idea of the most recent happenings, of course, and was still under the impression that Hinata's feelings were one-sided.

"Ah, of course you would know each other," Hiashi interrupted the small exchange between the sisters, "You and Naruto were at the academy together, correct?"

Hinata nodded and added, "We've also been on many missions together. He's saved me from danger many times, father."

"Hmm," Hiashi pondered, throwing a look at the young ninja behind him. He was not fond of Naruto; he had proven himself to the village on many occasions and had even beaten Neji at the first of the Chunin exams four years ago, but the fact that he was still the container of the Kyuubi caused Hiashi to be very suspicious of the young boys actions and intentions. Why the Hokage had chosen_ this_ boy out of all the ninja's in the village to protect his daughter he had no idea…but he was not one to challenge the Hokage's views, no matter how absurd they seemed, and he decided that would at least try to remain civil towards the "highly capable ninja".

'Perhaps,' Hiashi thought to himself, watching Naruto , 'I should see just how capable he has become…'

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Push da pretty buddon and pwease review! ;-)


	24. Chapter 24: Flirtatious Sparring

_Hi again all!_

_Finally, I've made it back with a new chapter - I hope all of you are enjoying your hlidays (mine is unfrotunantely a working one so I'm very close to losing my mind!)_

_Will try and update real soon again - work and such is hectic right now, but I'll hopefully have next week off for Christmas then I'll be sure to get some writing done again. ;-) Thank you so much for your ongoing support and I truly do hope that you are enjoying the story so far. Only bigger and better things are to come!!_

_Lots of love!_

_Nix_

_P.s - please review! Mwaz_

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Flirtatious Sparring

Hinata had never felt so anxious before in her life. The tension and electricity that lay dormant in the room was unmistakable, at least, to her it certainly was. Naruto, however, felt the same growing urge rise in his unmoving form as he sat beside the girl he had had the pleasure of holding in his arms only hours before. Hiashi was unaware of all of this, of course, which explained why Naruto was even allowed near Hinata under the current circumstances. If Hiashi had known of the two teenagers fondness for each other he would have made sure to keep them separate for as long as possible, but due to his ignorance the two of them were in a silent, yet blissful heaven.

After Naruto had greeted Hinata with as much formality as he could muster Hiashi had invited him in to observe his lesson with Hinata. Hinata had been surprised by the fact that her father was willing to openly share Hyuuga secrets with the young ninja before her, unaware of the fact that he had secrets of his own that he was keeping from her. Her father, however, cleverly avoided the subject of her new ability, and instead resumed the previous combat training that they had been working on before. Hinata tucked her scroll beneath the pillow she was seated on, along with the scroll her father had been reading instructions from. She promised herself that she would resume her training tonight, in the solitude of her own bedroom, away from the pressure of her fathers gaze. She also wanted to tell Naruto of her new ability as soon as possible; she had been curious of his growing strength since their last mission together, and was hoping that he would fill her in on any new abilities he had acquired once she told him of hers.

The injury Hiashi had sustained from his previous sparring match with Hinata had already worn off, and therefore he quickly drew Hanabi into the training session. As he and Hanabi readied themselves Naruto took his place alongside Hinata, offering her a coy smile as his eyes strayed from her eyes down to her mouth and quickly back up again. She felt the heat jump to her cheeks at this look, and quickly turned her attention to her father and sister, trying to hide the slight shaking of her hands as she longed to reach out and touch Naruto. Naruto also drew his attention to the two fighters, enjoying the slight distraction.

Despite the precise movements of the two Hyuuga's matched with the occasional "smack" as their hands connected, they were unable to draw Naruto's attention for very long. He soon shifted closer, inch by inch, to the dark haired beauty at his side, who smiled slightly as she noticed his advances, but kept her eyes locked on her sister. Hanabi was improving and doing very well for merely a Genin; she had been trained by her father from a young age, just as Hinata had been, but she was given much more attention due to her strong flair for the Hyuuga abilities. Despite all this, however, her sister was still weak in technique and overall chakra control, but these small flaws were being fine-tuned by Hiashi on a daily basis.

"Ne, Hi-na-ta-chan?" Hinata heard as the warm breath of her visitor caressed her neck, his whisper making her shiver slightly. He stretched her name out into separate syllables, lowering his voice and allowing it to become husky and making Hinata's head swirl. She caught her breath and allowed her eyes to stray to the boy beside her. He still had his eyes locked on her father and Hanabi, but the smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth indicated that he was paying a lot more attention to her than he was letting on.

Hinata felt a slight brush at her hand, which was tucked into her lap in her customary fashion, and she looked down at Naruto's hand which he had placed innocently on the floor just behind her, obscured from her father's sight. She caught on to what he wanted and stole a glance at her father, holding her breath. He had his back to them at that moment, giving pointers to Hanabi on the correct approach when attacking a vital organ, so she quickly slipped her hand from her lap and placed it casually behind her back, shifting her weight to look like she was leaning back on it. As soon as her hand touched the floor she felt Naruto's strong, warm grip surround her fingers, and her heart gave a great leap of pleasure.

The two of them remained facing the two that were sparring, but their attention was not directed at them at all. Hinata's thoughts and the sudden electricity that was running through her system kept her so distracted that she struggled to breathe properly. Her breath escaped in shivering gasps as Naruto stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Exhilaration filled him as he realized that they may be caught by her father, but even the impending consequence of it all was not enough to force him to let go of Hinata's hand.

Hinata was still curious as to why Naruto was there, a special guest in her household, but her curiosity about the situation could wait; her father hated it when people spoke while he was teaching, and she decided to save her questions for another time. Naruto's hand had left Hinata's and was instead curling around her wrist now, caressing her arm up and down with the warm tips of his fingers, and Hinata sighed in pleasure. Her eyes closed slightly, enjoying the pleasant sensation. Naruto began to gain confidence as his small actions caused Hinata obvious happiness, and the fact that the two fighters hadn't noticed them yet caused him to want to pursue further.

He traced his fingers up and down Hinata's arm as he felt goose bumps rise beneath his touch, and he drew his hand lightly away from her arm as he redirected it somewhere else. Hinata gave a small gasp as she felt Naruto's hand rest on the small of her back, finding the small gap of exposed skin between her shirt and her tight training pants. He paused with his hand there, probably to measure her reaction, and when she showed no protest he began to lightly stroke the skin he found at the small of her back. Her skin felt hot beneath his fingers, and he knew it was because she had turned a brilliant shade of red at his touch. The blush which jumped to her cheeks every time she was near him was one of the things Naruto loved most about the girl before him because he knew that reaction was reserved specifically for his presence alone – no one else would see the extent of the blush Hinata had on her face now without him being in the room.

Naruto kept his hand at Hinata's back for some time, tracing patterns on her skin with the tip of his forefinger, and Hinata sighed with pleasure often. A sudden, sharp voice interrupted their moment of happiness, however, as Hiashi took his training to a much further level.

"Byakugan!"

He voiced his technique aloud in order for Hanabi to follow his lead and activate hers in turn. Naruto and Hinata both knew that as soon as the Byakugan was activated it provided the Hyuuga ninja with a 360 degree view of his or her surroundings, and that spelled trouble for the two who were sharing an intimate exchange in the shadows of the dojo. Naruto quickly withdrew his hand from Hinata's back, shifting over ever so slightly and trying to appear normal. Hinata, however, drew a sharp breath and tried to stop an even deeper redness which threatened to caress her cheeks. The impending wrath of her father was too much for her to bear, and her heart rate accelerated in fear, bringing with it a fresh wave of heat which escaped her control and plastered her fear on her face.

Hanabi rushed forward, intending to strike her father at his lower abdomen, closing off the chakra points from his abdomen down. She paused, however, as Hiashi raised his palm as a single to halt, not as a defensive tactic. He seemed preoccupied with something, so she paused, letting her offensive position fall.

"Thank you Hanabi," he said thoughtfully, "I think that's enough for now…Hinata?"

"Y-yes father?" Hinata stuttered, her voice squeaking with nervousness. Had he seen them before Naruto was able to draw his hand away? The fear that she felt was unmistakable to Naruto now, and he longed to take her hand to reassure her, but in the current situation it would only make things worse.

"Why don't you and Naruto spar next?" Hiashi asked, and all thoughts of being punished for her behaviour fled from her mind. She and Naruto spar, in the Hyuuga family dojo with her father watching? It was even worse than being caught in the act – she knew why he wanted them to spar. He wanted to compare her fighting style to that of the other ninja's in the village, and she was sure he wanted to see what Naruto was capable of as well. Naruto had developed so much more from the last time her father had seen him fight against Neji at the Chuunin exam, so he was sure to impress him, but would she be able to use her full abilities against the man she loved just to prove a point to her father?

She debated this in her mind as her father stared down at her, waiting for an answer, and she turned to Naruto to find him smiling in anticipation…Naruto, of course, would never say no to an extra bit of training.

* * *

"Checkmate." Shikamaru muttered lazily from the other side of the Shogi board, stifling a large yawn as he did so.

"What! How'd you do that?" Temari questioned in disbelief, her eyes roaming the board frantically to see whether or not she really had just lost the game.

"Years of practice," he drawled, winking in response to her frustrated face.

"One more game," she insisted, not ready to lose just yet.

"Ah, give it a rest Temari," he pleaded, "Isn't me beating you three times in a row enough torture for one day? For you _and_ me?"

"What do you mean 'you _and_ me'?" she asked, imitating his lazy drawl and beginning to set up the board for a game again.

"Every time you lose you get frustrated and demand a rematch, and I'm the one who has to listen to you whine about it!" he explained.

"Aw, boo hoo," Temari smirked, "Just one more game, and I swear we'll call it quits."

The two of them were sprawled out on the floor of Shikamaru's living room, the heavy curtains drawn in order to keep the heat of the late afternoon sun from the apartment. This caused the room to appear very dark, and as a result Temari had lit a few candles to provide them with adequate lighting for their game.

She had also, much to Shikamaru's dismay, dragged the lazy ninja to the market early that morning after their questionable breakfast to buy some proper food and supplies for his apartment. The trip had been mortifying to the shadow ninja– she dragged him through every walkway, stopped at every food stall and negotiated with every salesman until the best bargains were found. Shikamaru forced himself to drag out his wallet every now and then, but Temari always stopped him by saying that the Hokage would cover the costs since he was housing her for the next few weeks. This suited him just fine – until Temari started going a little overboard.

"Aw! This throw would just match _beautifully_ with your curtains in the living room!" she exclaimed, coming up to one of the stands that didn't contain food, and reminding Shikamaru all too much of his mother.

"No," he stated simply, folding his arms.

"But look shadow-ass, it would go perfectly-"

"No Temari …just no."

And they left it there. She seemed to have lost the battle that day, but he knew that she was out to win the war in the end – the dramatic shifting around of the furniture in his front room and the excessive cleanliness of his kitchen, floors, bathroom, and even the ceiling proved that to him. He couldn't help having the feeling that he was living back home with his parents again, but with the developments of the afternoon he seemed quite happy with how things worked out…even if he had to wipe his feet every time he entered the door.

"Where'd you find the time to clean this place anyway?" he asked, looking around at his nearly spotless home as Temari set up the last of the shogi pieces.

"When you were having your meeting with the Hokage," she answered, "It didn't take me long at the Konoha academy today – I just observed one or two of Iruka-sensei's classes and came home soon after. You weren't home, so I figured I'd clean up…a bit."

"A bit, hey?" Shikamaru chuckled.

"Well, I am going to be living here as well, and I can't stand a dirty home!" she defended herself, once again reminding Shikamaru of his mother, "And you have to have food – how else were you planning on eating?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Naruto has stacks of coupons to eat for free at Ichiraku – I was hoping to get some of those off of him."

He winked again and Temari shook her head at his wittiness.

"But thank you," he said, making the first move on the board, "It's kind of nice to have a woman take care of me...well, a woman who isn't my mom at least. I feel like I'm taken care of, yet I don't feel smothered. It's different. I like it."

Temari smiled to herself, making the next move, and watching Shikamaru counteract her choice of play.

"You're welcome," she said quietly, bringing another Shogi piece to the front, "I enjoy doing it – you're the kind of guy who needs a woman's touch to his life."

She looked up then and smiled widely at him, "Even if that woman is troublesome."

Shikamaru smiled back at her, and turned his eyes back to the board.

The two of them hadn't discussed what had happened the night before; after Shikamaru had told Temari that his intentions were only for friendship she had decided to put her feelings behind her and instead to work on what they had – or had lost and were now trying to regain. Their friendship had been as easy as breathing until her feelings got in the way, and she wanted it back so badly. She wasn't trying to try too hard though; she would simply act as naturally around him as her willpower allowed, which was working fine for now, but every time an inkling of a romantic thought would enter her mind she would scold herself and resume her friendly façade. Not that it was a true façade; she was truly enjoying Shikamaru's company – she just needed to make sure nothing spoiled it.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, had their conversation on his mind all day – the reason he had said no to any romantic intentions was simply because he was afraid to be made a fool of; he thought he was being tested. But after the day's events he began to wonder…

She took care of him so well after only being in his home for one night – she cooked, cleaned, bought groceries, cared for his general appearance as well as that of his home and she still remained some of the best company he'd ever experienced. She was intellectual, funny, stubborn, caring, _loving…_which was also why she was so troublesome. She must care for him if she _showed _so much care for him…but did she care more than he had originally thought? Was the reason she had asked him if he loved her because she had feelings for him? Because she needed confirmation on whether he felt the same way?

It was these questions that haunted Shikamaru as he shifted the shogi pieces around absent-mindedly.

If it had been asked only to receive confirmation…had Shikamaru just shattered a chance of happiness with the girl who sat before him? The girl who he knew, deep down, he really did love. And perhaps the only reason that their friendship had seemed strained the day before was because Temari was undergoing exactly the same feelings that he was trying to suppress?

"Checkmate, finally!" he heard, snapping out of his internal battle, and glancing at Temari's triumphant face.

"I win! Finally, I beat the "Great Shikamaru"!" she giggled and punched her fist into the air, but then suddenly turned serious again when she noticed his small smile, "Although I suspect you somehow let me win on that one."

Shikamaru smiled up at her mischieviously, proving her suspicions right. He did let her win, but not out of choice…simply out of preoccupation.

"Rematch?" he asked.

* * *

"Breathe Kiba!" Sakura commanded, placing her right hand at her chest for the third time, and the other on Kiba's. She expanded his and her lung capacity, took a deep breath and lent down once more, placing her mouth on his and forcing all her extra oxygen into his lungs. She felt his chest rise and fall again, and she waited anxiously for it to rise by itself again, her mouth still pressed firmly to his, refusing to let the oxygen escape. Six heartbeats followed in which nothing happened, but eventually she felt Kiba jerk, his mouth pulling away from hers as he fought to get natural oxygen into his lungs. She straightened up quickly and allowed him to breathe in sharp, rattling breaths, giving a sigh of relief.

Kiba had arrived back with Akamaru minutes after Kaminari had hopped into Sakura's lap, panting happily after his exercise session with the boys. Sakura had waited the allocated hour and a half until the soldier pill would wear off of Kaminari, and he trotted into sight not a minute too late to wait for his companions along with Sakura. When Kiba had shown up he did indeed look tired, and he immediately lay down to receive treatment from Sakura. She had no idea that he was that exhausted that he'd needed three treatments of it though.

"Thanks Sakura…" she heard him say and she smiled down at him before getting up off his abdomen and dusting herself off.

"You had me seriously worried there for a second! I couldn't believe you were that deprived of oxygen! Or that you could be so unfit that I have to perform the procedure on you three times before you start breathing again…are you even fit to _be_ a ninja Kiba?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, I am," he said, sitting up with a mischievous smile on his face, "When I got back here I was a little out of breath and a little bit of oxygen wouldn't have hurt, but I didn't _need_ it."

"But then…why?" Sakura trailed off, staring at Kiba's wide grin and the naughty twinkle in his eye. Suddenly realization hit.

"You!" she exclaimed, her quick temper rising, "You were _faking_ it! Why were you…"

She seemed to deepen in colour as her anger rose even further, the reason behind his actions becoming clearer and clearer by the second.

"You little…hentai!" she shouted, causing Akamaru to whine. He and Kaminari were standing nearby, recovering from their own race around Konoha, and they now had a front row seat to Sakura's wrath.

Sakura lunged forward towards Kiba, who realized too late what she was planning to do. He didn't know Sakura as well as the other ninja's did – they had been on a few missions together on which she had proven very helpful with her medical skills, and he was aware of her temperament with Naruto, but he had no idea that Sakura could be just as violent with anyone else. He was still in a half crouch, lifting himself up off the floor, when Sakura leaped at him. He had no time to react, and as a result of the collision the two of them tumbled backwards, heading towards the edge of the mountainside.

As they tumbled Kiba heard continuous threats being thrown at him by the pink-haired ninja, but he barely heard them over the sound of their tumbling, the slam of the ground on his back and the looming edge of the cliff that they were headed towards.

"Sakura!" he shouted, trying to draw her attention to the cliff edge, but all that did was earn him a whack to the back of his head. Stars popped before his eyes as his head hit a stone protruding from the ground a second later, and, despite his disorientation he clung onto Sakura as he felt the ground suddenly disappear beneath them.

Sakura caught her breath, breaking off midway through an insult as she realized the sudden pull of gravity. She tried to throw her arms out to grab onto the edge of the cliff, but Kiba had a firm grip on both of her arms, and they were literally pinned at her sides. She looked up at him, knowing that he had no intention of throwing an arm out in case he lost his grip on her. His eyes seemed glazed over, and she knew he was disoriented from the tumble down the cliff face. She scolded herself momentarily; why did she always let her temper get in the way? If she didn't act fast they could both die simply because of her over reaction. This raced through her mind in the split second that the ground disappeared beneath and they began to fall, almost dreamlike, towards the ground below.

A sudden tug made Sakura snap her attention back above her, and she saw Akamaru leaning over the edge, his teeth embedded in his master's jacket, trying his best not to get pulled down himself. Sakura could feel Kiba's grip slacken as he began to lose consciousness, and Sakura could see a small bump beginning to rise on his temple; he must have hit his head really hard on the way down. She reached forward as best she could to cling onto his jacket just as his grip left her entirely, and she slipped further down, clinging desperately onto Kiba as her legs swung freely. She closed her eyes as fear overcame her, but she was brought back to reality once more as she felt Akamaru's grip on them slipping. She shook her head at herself – was she a ninja or not?

"Akamaru!" she shouted up at him, and he responded with a slight whine, "Please try on hold on a little longer, I'm gonna try and get us up!"

Akamaru growled slightly and she saw him sink his teeth in deeper, yanking them back slightly, but pausing as the ground beneath him gave way slightly in the form of a few pebbles accompanied by dirt. It rained down on Sakura, and she shook it from her hair as she began to swing from one end to the other, still clinging desperately onto Kiba's jacket as Akamaru did the same. She forced chakra to the balls of her feet, and as soon as she was close enough to the side of the cliff she planted her feet and stuck there. She then quickly let go of Kiba's jacket, making the weight that Akamaru had to bear a lot less, and he began to drag Kiba backwards. Unfortunately the ground wasn't about to co-operate with Akamaru's effort, and it gave way where his front paws were planted. Akamaru tried to retreat, not releasing his grip on his master, but it was clear that he was going to fall too if Sakura didn't do something fast.

"Let go Akamaru!" she shouted, reaching out as she forced her chakra deeper into her feet, "I'll catch him, I promise!"

She had already used up a lot of her chakra performing her medical technique on Kiba earlier, but she pushed on, knowing that her chakra would hold out long enough to get Kiba to safety. Akamaru did as she said; he let go of Kiba and quickly retreated from the crumbling edge. Kiba fell immediately, and Sakura reached out, catching beneath both his arms and holding on tightly. His weight was a lot more than she expected and she felt one of her feet slip. She clenched her teeth as she forced her chakra back to her feet and proceeded to run up the edge, placing her one arm under Kiba's knees and carrying him up the cliff face.

She reached the top in three bounds, and quickly placed Kiba on the ground, panting slightly. She gathered some more of the healing chakra that had now become second nature for her to produce, and held it to his head. The bump stopped swelling at her touch, and she knew that Kiba would wake up soon. Seconds later Kiba's eyes fluttered open, squinting at the glare of the late afternoon sun in his eyes, a throaty chuckle escaping his lips.

"Sakura?" he muttered, and he saw the silhouette of her head block the sun from his eyes, "You're crazy, do you know that?"

"And you're a pervert, did you know that?" she retaliated, as Kiba burst into a fit of laughter.

"I'll be the first to admit that I'm a perv," he said between breaths, "But I at least don't throw other people off a cliff with me in tow!"

Sakura reddened in colour, but then found herself laughing along with Kiba. She lay down next to him, the two of them clutching their sides as they laughed, enjoying the relief from the previous shock that had run through both of their systems. Once they both had finally caught their breath Sakura sat up.

"I'm sorry," she said, "Sometimes I let my temper get the better of me…but that was a really mean thing to do!" she said in annoyance, "I was seriously worried that I couldn't get you breathing again!"

"Then, I'm sorry," Kiba said I return, "For pissing you off and making you throw us off a cliff."

He grinned at Sakura's annoyed glare.

"But seriously, I promise I won't do it again. It was just nice having your lips on mine…" he trailed off.

Sakura blushed slightly; her eyes opened wide in shock Was Kiba actually admitting that he liked her or something? She barley even knew the guy…and wasn't he hung up on Hinata or something? She had head Naruto complain about Kiba's constant urge to fight him, and how, lately, the fight had always been about Hinata. So he couldn't be admitting something, could he? And did she even feel the same way?

Kiba winked at her just then, puling her away from her thoughts.

"Psyche," he said, "I only did it to piss you off really."

Sakura coloured once more, her eyes narrowing as she pulled her hand back.

SLAP!

Kiba rubbed his hand to his cheek as he felt the stinging sensation caress his face, and he looked up to see Sakura stalking off angrily. Seemed he'd gone too far again.

"Me and my big mouth," he muttered, standing up and heading home, Akamaru and Kaminari following in his wake, a slight chuckling sound bubbling in Akamaru's throat.

* * *

Hinata stood facing Naruto in the outside training area; at Naruto's suggestion they had moved outside because he said he was scared he may destroy the dojo if the fight got too heated. This comment had made Hinata nervous, but he winked and smiled at her as he said it, so she knew he was only doing it as an extra precaution.

As they left the dojo Hanabi and Hiashi walked out first, leaving Hinata and Naruto lingering behind them. Naruto sneaked Hinata's hand into his while he was sure her father wasn't looking, and whispered into her ear: "Besides, it's prettier outside than it is on the inside right now."

And he was right; as they exited the building the red sunset could be seen sinking behind the distant mountains, and the sky was streaked with purple, pink and red stains, a few of the early stars beginning to twinkle here and there. Hinata smiled at Naruto as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and let go as her father turned around and pointed them towards the training yard.

Now she stood facing him, unsure of what to expect from the fight, and still contemplating whether she should go all out in order to impress her father, or whether she should fight gently in order not to hurt Naruto.

"You two may begin," Hiashi stated, "Try not to get too carried away…" he focused his eyes on Naruto as he said this, proving Hinata's suspicions that he saw Naruto as an incompetent ninja.

Naruto grinned, however, and gave him a thumbs up.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Hinata will put me in my place!" he exclaimed, and looked over at her with a twinkle in his eye.

"Ne, Hinata-chan?" he said more quietly, so that only she could hear him, "Don't hold back, ok? I can only show you how strong I've become if you do the same."

He smiled at her then, and readied himself into a defensive position that she wasn't accustomed to seeing him use. She smiled back at him and readied herself as well; of course Naruto didn't want her to hold back, and she also wanted to prove to him how much stronger she had become.

'This is going to be fun!' she thought to herself, before racing forwards to the waiting ninja before her. He was the man she loved, and the man that she wanted to prove her strength to the most. Her father stood, forgotten on the sidelines, as Hinata focused only on Naruto.

* * *

_And thats that for now. ;-) Sorry for the cliffhanger!_

_Please don't forget to review and allow me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas in advance!!!_


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